Simplicity
by PeinSaku
Summary: She is the girl that has no heart, and he is the man that unknowingly stole it. "You will become my tool. You will fight for me, aid me when I call upon you. And in exchange, I will ensure that you become the most widely-revered kunoichi of your time."
1. Speculation

Here's the first new story from the poll!

Keep in mind that this is the prologue; all later chapters will be three times as long as this one. Ages have been changed, so be on the lookout for that.

Also: anyone who reviews, please put "RING! RING! Banana Phone!" somewhere in your message. I want to see how many people actually read this note at the beginning of the story so I'll know if I'm just wasting my time...

I own nothing; all flames will used to cook Naruto's ramen.

Pease read and review! :)

* * *

**Speculation**

* * *

She saw him for the first time when she was six.

At the time, she'd thought nothing of him except that he was just some random red-haired eleven-year-old whom she didn't recognize. She'd also been a bit upset that he was watching her indifferently as she sat helplessly in the dirt, holding up her arms in a feeble attempt to block the rocks the other girls in her class were throwing at her. An older woman stood near him — his grandmother, she would later learn. When the woman, Chiyo, finally noticed what he was staring at, she yelled at the children to leave the poor girl alone. Terrified, they ran without hesitation. Despite his grandmother's kindness toward the little pink-haired girl, he was the only one that noticed the way she glared after her attackers with a sort of fire in her eyes.

A bright fire. A lovely fire.

One that had the potential to turn the pathetic child before him into a ferocious kunoichi.

And only he recognized it.

His grandmother — one of the six members of the Suna council — had come to Konoha to meet with the village's elders to inquire about a temporary peace treaty, and seeing as he had no other family, she had brought him along as well. They were on their way to the Hokage Tower at that moment, and they had no time to stop.

"Come, Sasori," Chiyo murmured, placing a gentle hand on his back to guide him. She turned, obviously intending to leave the kid where she was. "That child is a Konoha girl; now that she's out of danger, we have no need to help her. Besides — you remember what the Konoha no Shiori Kiba did to your parents." Her frown deepened. "These people aren't worth our time."

But, even as his grandmother led his away, he looked back at the unnamed girl. The way she just sat there, staring after him, frowning, fists clenching in the dirt, messy hair falling around blazing green eyes…

His interest had been piqued.

This girl —

He didn't know what it was about the little pink-haired child, but she was different.

And he intended to make sure she reached her full potential.

.

His name was Sasori. He was eleven and already a jonin of Sunagakure. Status: A-Rank.

He had planned to leave his village after four more years — at which time he would have achieved the level of S-Rank. He wasn't particularly sure where he's go first, but Rice Country and Tea Country were rather appealing. On his way out of Suna, he'd "collect" the Sandaime Kazekage and pick up any other seemingly powerful shinobi along the way.

However, that all changed the moment he witnessed a tiny, insignificant girl glare after a large group of tormentors as if she were an ANBU intently planning their demise.

He'd seen many things in her eyes — intelligence, undiluted hatred, raw potential.

And the crippling hunger to learn.

So, for the first time in his life, Sasori did something on a whim. He slipped into the citizen records room (the guards were laughable in strength) while his grandmother and the rest of the Suna Council discussed diplomatic matters and such with Konoha's Council of Elders. A genius in his own right, he was able to determine the rough location of the girl's file amongst the thousands. Five or so minutes of searching produced the results he'd been expecting.

* * *

Name: Haruno Sakura

DOB: March 28

Age: 6

Hair Color: pink

Eye Color: green

Skin Tone: pale

Last Recorded Height: 41 in.

Last Recorded Weight: 46.2 lbs.

**Family**

— Mother: Deceased

— Father: Decease

— Siblings: N/A

— Grandparents: Deceased

— Other: Unknown

**Currently up for adoption.**

Status: Academy Student

* * *

Her profile continued on with trivial information such as the location of her last home, her shinobi ID number, and her medical history (admitted into the hospital often with large bruises and cuts, but allergic to nothing). He flipped through papers until he came upon her latest Ninja Academy transcript.

* * *

Ninjutsu: A-

Taijutsu: B

Genjutsu: A+

Weaponry: B+

Academics: A+

Cooperation: C

Positivity: F

Classroom Attitude: C-

* * *

Ah. He nearly smirked. It was better than he'd expected. Her potential was incredible, but she was most likely overlooked for her fragile build and her more noteworthy classmates — Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Neji, and the Kyubi jinchuriki, for example. He doubted the teachers gave her the time of day.

She was just a student without a sensei.

But, today, that was going to change.

.

Sasori was confident that she would accept his offer.

After all, she was exactly like himself: alone, neglected, self-educated, potentially a prodigy (though she had no Kekkei Genkai), and thirty to obtain the knowledge and power necessary to demand respect. Because of this, he knew that she would never pass up an opportunity to reach her goal.

When he left Konoha with his grandmother that afternoon — because the Suna-nin refused to remain in that "despicable village" overnight, he made no attempt to look for Sakura. He merely returned home, gathered his things in the middle of the night, "collected" the Sandaime, and made his way back to Konoha. (It was truly the best place for him to stay, because it was the only place Chiyo would never think to look for him in.) The entire trip took nearly six days, but when he approached the place where he'd first seen Sakura, she was there again.

And he'd arrived at the right moment, it appeared, because she was walking away. Scars glared at him from her arms, signaling that the abuse he'd witnessed had yet to end. He followed her all the way to an abandoned training ground and watched as she relieved some of her frustration by chucking a stolen kunai at a tree. The blade jammed deep into the bark, but her accuracy was a bit off. He expected her to come out with a handful of smuggled weapons and proceed to launch them blindly at invisible targets; instead, she slumped against another tree and slid down to the ground. Sensing his opportunity to harness her potential slipping away, he made his move.

Had he waited a single day more, she would have broken down and given into the nightmare of being weak. She would have then befriended a young blond girl in her class and grown to be an average kunoichi at best.

But because he had acted upon a whim for the very first time, he had succeeded.

Her head shot up as he appeared before her, jade-colored eyes wide.

"You…"

Her voice was soft, quiet. Much like his own.

"Sakura." She froze at the sound of her name. "I have come to make you a proposition." The immediate suspicion flashing in her eyes pleased him.

"What kind of proposition?"

He approved of the way she watched and questioned him warily, even as he stood over her.

"I will teach you." He wasted no time. "I will teach you all that I know so that you may be able to obtain the respect you so desperately desire."

Her breath hitched somewhere in her throat, heart nearly stopping. His words seemed to register after a long moment, and she finally spoke. "…if you do that," she said faintly, slightly dazed, looking as though she though him to be a god, "I will do anything you ask."

He gave a curt nod; he'd known she would say that. Crouching down before her, he took a strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. His eyes were distant and unfocused. "You will become my tool," he murmured in a deceptively gentle tone. "You will fight for me, aid me when I call upon you. From now until the moment of your death, you will pledge loyalty only to me. Not to this village, and not to your future teammates. Me." His gaze seared hers. "In exchange, I will ensure that you become the most widely-revered kunoichi of your time."

She almost shivered at the lovely tales he wove of such a desirable future. His promises were smooth, seductive. And simply by gazing into his molten hazel eyes, she knew that he could keep each and every one of those promises.

So, without hesitation, without fear, she uttered the two small words that would forever bind her to him.

"I accept."

* * *

_Come, my marionette, and dance for me._

_Dance for me, love me—_

_And I'll make you beautiful for the world to see._


	2. Altruism

Like I said, all other chapters are going to be very long. :) This chapter covers a span of four years, but starting with the next, they'll slow down. And for anyone who doesn't catch the reference at the end of the chapter: Sasori's birthday is November 8th. Remember that.

So, anyways, I hope you all like it. :)

Please read and review!

* * *

**Altruism**

* * *

**Saturday**

Sasori had never been particularly proud of his red hair. It wasn't as if he hated it or anything — but he didn't _like_ it.

It was just hair. Plain, messy, red hair. He was born with it, and he couldn't exactly make it another color by wiggling his nose and saying the magic words.

Besides, it was a hassle to deal with.

Today, however, was the first time he actually appreciated is bloody hue.

It was a commonly known fact that pink was just a lighter shade of red. So, it was plausible that a pink-haired girl could have a red-haired brother. Add a slight henge to the mix in which he changed his eyes to a dark green tint, lightened the tone of his skin, straightened his hair somewhat to match hers, and tacked on seven years' worth of growth, and you had the perfect aniki for Haruno Sakura. Her file had conveniently been altered to say that she _did_, in fact, have a live elder siblings, and a file for one Haruno Seigi helpfully appeared in the citizen records room. Upon discovering that Sakura's long-lost _adult_ brother had finally returned from Tea Country to claim his dear sister, she was automatically removed from the adoption line and moved into an apartment with said brother.

Of course, S-Class (immediately labeled as such as soon as he defected) missing-nin Akasuna no Sasori had nothing to do with this — because, really, why would such an infamous rouge formerly associated with Sunagakure come to Konoha?

Four days he'd been gone. Three of them were spent on the journey to Leaf, and the fourth he'd spent _arranging_ things with Sakura and other certain figures of the village. He suspected a scout from Suna would arrive in the next day or so to warn their new (temporary) ally of the latest "threat". On that day, he'd just have to be certain to remain indoors.

When little Haruno Sakura woke at seven in the morning, she nearly died of a heart attack. She panicked for a full minute before calming, recalling that she and "Seigi" had moved into the unfamiliar apartment the previous night. As she finally gathered her wits about her and looked around, she spotted Sasori lounging on her window seat, one leg extended and one dangling off the ledge. Embarrassment immediately flooded her for not noticing him earlier.

"Ohayou."

Sasori glanced at her, smoothly raising an eyebrow as her voice cracked. The slight rustling of his clothes provided the only sound in the room as he dropped to his feet. "Lesson One," he said bluntly, padding across to the boxes by the door. "Shinobi never sleep in past five."

She nodded firmly, repeating his words in her head, determined not to forget.

"Get up."

She threw the blankets from her body and scrambled to stand, ignoring the ice-cold hardwood floor beneath her bare feet. Her heart pounded so loudly that she was sure he could hear it. Today was the day. Today she would finally begin the training she had always begged the Academy teachers to give her.

"Lesson Two." A red zip-up t-shirt and tan shorts were flung at her. "Wear appropriate attire." He turned his back on her, obviously expecting her to change while he talked. Face burning, she struggled to dress as quickly as possible. "Clothes should be either comfortably loose or skin-tight. Nothing baggy, and nothing that cuts off circulation. Be certain that they'll not hinder your movements." Upon hearing her stop shuffling around, he turned back to her. "Dresses, capes, and cloaks are out of the question unless your battle style requires little to no movement. Should you ever acquire a skirt, it is to extend to no farther than your knees.

"Lesson Three." Sakura nearly jumped as a kunai imbedded itself into the floor just inches before her. "Keep weapons on your person at all times, no matter if you are sleeping or eating. Tying into Lesson Four: Always be on guard." She leapt back to avoid the second kunai launched directly at her feet. "Attacks may occur at any time." She ducked beneath a third kunai. "These attempts on your life by enemy shinobi will become more frequent as you scale the ranks."

Sakura eyed the fourth weapon glinting in his hand, much to his approval. He put it away and abruptly walked out of the room. When she just stood there, watching him stupidly, he glared over his shoulder at her. Catching the hint, she scurried after him, accepting the energy bar he thrust in her direction with surprise. His head was turned slightly to the side, watching her with one eye as he walked straight for the front door of the apartment. Mentally running over his instructions, she snagged one of the many weapons pouches he had placed around the living space. Pleased, he shifted his chin a fraction of an inch to face forward, never pausing as he placed the "Seigi" henge upon his form while leading the way out. She admired the way he'd cloaked himself in an instant without hesitation, wondering as she chewed on her make-shift breakfast if she'd ever be able to do that.

Hopefully.

"Sakura."

She nearly crashed into his back when he suddenly stopped. Flustered, she squeaked out a, "Y-yes?"

"That training ground you were at yesterday — it is abandoned, correct?"

She gave a jerky nod. The current genin teams had already staked out their specified training grounds, and no one else ever used them. Academy students weren't allowed on them, while higher level shinobi typically used the training rooms on the other side of the village (a large one-story concrete building that housed multiple rooms filled with traps and other helpful training aids). He continued without another word, and she followed quietly. Sakura had never been one to fill silences with mindless chatter, and she definitely wasn't about to start now.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the grounds, she caught a glimpse of someone leaving another area — someone she only vaguely knew. His face was slightly familiar, but she was positive she'd never heard his name before. Sasori, however, recognized the man the moment he laid eyes on him, but he didn't hesitate. He didn't particularly care.

It was only the Uchiha prodigy, Itachi. No one too important.

Unbeknownst to her, this would not be the last time she ever saw him within the walls of Konoha.

.

"The first thing you will learn," Sasori stated simply, standing before her, "is to dodge."

She barely stopped herself from frowning at him. Learning how to dodge? That was easy. Even an idiot could leap out of the way of an attack as long as he was paying attention. Sensing her displeasure at the idea, Sasori flicked out a senbon so quickly that it didn't even blur in her eyes; it was practically invisible. She gasped, stumbling back and slapping a small hand over the cut on her forearm, eyes wide. Blood seeped out between her fingers.

"But before you learn how to properly dodge attacks," he continued flatly, "your speed must be increased." He turned slightly and pointed at a tree on the other side of the clearing. "Run to that tree and back."

Without having to be told, she launched herself across the ground as fast as she possibly could. Her heart slammed against her ribs, and her lungs screamed at the exertion, distracting her from the sharp sting of her cut. Her fingers barely brushed the bark before she kicked off the tree and propelled herself back. She skidded to a halt in front of him, chest heaving, breath coming out in gasps. His gaze was neither condescending nor approving.

"Again."

Surprised but determined not to show it, she took off again, this time kicking off the tree harder for an extra boost. When she slid by him, he immediately ordered her to do it a third time. After the fourth, she needed no further prodding. Back and forth, back and forth she ran, all the while her chest and legs demanding that she sit the hell down and fall into a nice, long sleep. The short laps quickly became blurred; seven bled into twelve, and twelve bled into eighteen until she no longer knew how many times she'd dashed from the center of the clearing to the tree and back. Sasori didn't stop her until her foot slipped on the bark and nearly caused her to fall.

"On your knees."

She happily complied. He crouched before her and held up both palms.

"Sit up straight." When she did so, he brought his palms to the height of her shoulders. "Punches. Switch between arms." He frowned after she delivered the first hit. "Back straight." She immediately arched up as stiffly as possible, not wanting to disappoint him. "Shoulders back. Chest out. When you are not punching with one arm, bring it back like so." He demonstrated, then took both of her hands and placed them in the correct positions — right arm out in a punch and left arm drawn in to curl at her side. Once righted, he held up bot palms again. "Now — keep your arms steady. Don't fly through this; concentrate with each hit. Punch."

Sakura took her time. She punched evenly with one arm, fist smacking against his hand, and dragged the other back. She didn't pause, but she made sure to make each strike count. This, she realized, wasn't to increase the impact of her blows; it was to build muscle — just like the running exercises.

"Arms steady," he snapped, making her tighten her focus. Her fists smacked more forcefully into his palm after the small reprimand. Somewhere around fifty punches, he suddenly bit out, "Block."

Startled, her forearms flew up to cross in front of her chin, effectively shielding both her face and upper torso as his hand suddenly came down to strike her chest.

"Good."

She stared at him wide-eyed, earning a sharp glare when she seemed unable to stop. Her face broke into a bright smile, to which he demanded to know why she had stopped punching and growled at her for slacking off. The beam never disappeared, much to his irritation, as she resumed working her arm muscles. Throughout the rest of her exercises, though, she didn't waver.

He had complimented her.

She had never once (that she could remember) received a compliment before, and Kami did it make her feel good.

Instead of growing cocky about being praised, she became more confident in her movements. Sasori noted this with a grunt. With her current below-average skill level, she provided a practically blank slate for anything he desired to teach her. While convenient, it also meant that she had a long way to go.

But there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he would make her _above_-average genin material in just a few short years.

* * *

**Sunday**

Sakura had never been so incredibly exhausted in all her life.

The training had been brutal on her yesterday after going six years without that sort of intense workouts. Her body would take a while to adjust, and until then, she'd have to suffer through it. After all, it was the only way to improve her skills.

She woke at four-thirty for good measure.

She'd always been excellent at setting an internal alarm clock to wake her up at certain times, but she didn't want to chance slipping up in her tired state. When her eyes flew open and she sat bolt-upright in bed, Sasori was seated on her window ledge again. He nodded to her curtly, standing, and made for the door without a word. Hurrying to follow, she shot out of bed and yanked out the first clothes her hands touched in the box on the floor — a black long-sleeved shirt and white capris. After quickly changing her clothes, she snatched her new kunai pouch that he had bought her after their session the day before and raced out of the room. He stood by the front door, waiting impatiently. She tugged on her standard shinobi sandals, clumsily catching the energy bar he threw at her and staggered after him as he left, henge in place.

"Starting today, you will wear these." She blinked at the bands of weights he held in his hand. "Once you finish that bar, I will put them on you." She quickly tore into the bland _brick_, eager to get onto her training. He continued speaking as she ate. "These are only five kilograms apiece, but you will wear them on each arm and leg. In two weeks, I will increase the weight to eight kilograms."

She nodded quickly, knowing he wouldn't put up with complaints. Eight kilograms in two weeks… Kami, she was going to be _dead_.

But, she reminded herself with a wide smile, if he was doing this, then he must think she could handle it. She crumbled up the energy bar wrapper, stuffing it in her pocket because she despised people that littered.

She wouldn't let him down.

And, she promised silently as he instructed her to sit so that he could strap on the weights, she would prove to him that she was worth the effort.

.

Walking around with about forty-one-and-a-half extra pounds was a weird feeling, to say the least. The sudden change had nearly caused her to topple over when she'd leapt up. Now, as she walked down the familiar streets of Konoha, a perpetual grimace marred her face with the effort it took to move her heavy limbs.

"_Five laps around the village,"_ he'd told her. _"You won't be allowed outside the gates, so walk along the inner walls. No breaks."_ She remembered the way his eyes had narrowed sternly. _"I will be tuning in at unknown times to keep an eye on you."_

And with that, he had just disappeared, leaving her to stumble around the village alone like an idiot. So, heaving a sigh, she had went along her merry way, trying to ignore the strange looks people sent in her direction at her sluggish motions.

She was currently on her second lap, and her legs were already burning. While it meant that her muscles were getting a proper workout, it also meant that she was going to collapse upon stopping. At least he hadn't made her run.

Sakura took this opportunity to gaze at the village in detail. She'd never really noticed some of the finer aspects — how clear the water in the park's koi pond was, the deep greenness of the trees, the thousands of gray and brown tones coloring the village walls. It was all beautiful; it was art.

_Art._

There was that word again.

Sasori had said it after she agreed to his proposition, but she was sure he didn't realize she'd heard him.

"_Art,"_ he'd murmured so quietly her ears strained to catch it. _"You will be my greatest work of art."_

She wondered what he meant by that, successfully distracting her mind from the laps. Her feet continued on dutifully.

Art.

What significance did that hold? The look on his face when he said it had been one of wonder…

She just didn't know. She knew nothing about him. He was a stranger — an enigma. A puzzle.

But she had always been good at solving puzzles, and this one would be no different.

"Hey!"

She looked up in surprise but didn't stop walking. (About her luck, Sasori would only be watching the second she paused.) A vaguely familiar short blond-haired kid was racing toward her, a dirt smudge on his cheek and a wide grin on his face. She recognized him as one of her classmates, but she hadn't the faintest clue as to what his name was. He made a point to talk enthusiastically with everyone — but not her, yet — even though everyone seemed to hate him.

"Hey!" he said again, catching up. "Can I, uh — can I walk with you?" He smiled nervously, face flushed.

Sakura blinked. A classmate talking to her and _not_ throwing rocks at her? It was a godsend. "Yeah, sure," she replied, voice nearly a squeak in her barely contained excitement. "I can't stop, though, so keep up."

He looked confused, but his delight won out, so he didn't ask. "Okay!" One hand threaded into the hair on the back of his head almost shyly. "You, um…you're S-sakura, right?"

She bobbed her head, looking away somewhat uncomfortably. "Mmhm." A long moment stretched in which neither of them spoke. "So, um, I don't know your name," she hinted.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, flustered. "I'm Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!"

She gave a small smile. "I've seen you around the academy a few times."

"Yeah!" He appeared to finally relax. "I'm gonna be the Hokage someday, so I've gotta be the best!"

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. Hokage, huh? Well, he was certainly motivated.

"NARU_TO_!"

The blond flinched, glancing over his shoulder uneasily. "Uh, I gotta go," he mumbled, dashing off. He threw a grin and a wave back at her. "See ya tomorrow, Sakura-chan!" She nearly snorted as Iruka-sensei came hurtling by, screaming threats at a certain blond. Laughing quietly to herself, she focused on her laps.

Perhaps she had — sort of, maybe — just made her first friend.

.

Sakura had barely sat down when Sasori appeared in front of her, and she almost let out a groan. Her legs were royally pissed off, but her head was yelling at her legs to shut the hell up and deal with it.

"Stand up."

Biting her tongue to keep from sighing, she pushed herself shakily to her feet. Her knees wobbled for a moment before straightening out; the weights would take some time to get used to.

"Come."

He abruptly turned and stalked off at a pace that made her heels cry. She followed without a word, hell-bent on giving him no excuse to break their agreement. Jogging slightly (a nightmare with the weights) to walk alongside him, she glanced up at his face. It was still so strange to have to crane her neck up further to see "Seigi."

"That boy," he began suddenly, making her wince. Of _course_ he would tune in while she was distracted. Great. Here comes the reprimanding. "You hear the rumors about him, do you not?"

Sakura frowned. That wasn't what she expected. However, now that she thought about it, an awful lot of people _did_ seem to talk bad about him…

But, why? He was so nice and open.

Her eyebrows shot up as something occurred to her.

Maybe he was like her — picked on because of how he looked or his family.

"How come people are so mean to him?" she asked, looking up at her companion with wide, uncomprehending eyes. "He's really nice, and he doesn't make fun of my hair, or my forehead, or my parents. And he doesn't throw rocks at me, either."

His temporarily dark green eyes cut down in her direction sharply.

"Do not listen to a word that others say about you," he snapped. "Those who criticize for such petty motives are the lowliest beings in existence. Never forget that."

She nodded quickly, cheeks glowing bright red as she realized she'd been complaining.

"As for why he is treated in such a manner," he murmured, gazing back at the road. "He carries within him the spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox demon."

Her eyes stretched even wider. "A — a _demon_? !"

He gave a curt nod, voice lowered so that passersby wouldn't hear their conversation. "The demon was sealed inside of his body after it attacked Konoha six years ago."

Sasori believed in telling people exactly what they needed to know, no matter how it made them _feel_. Feelings were useless things that just got in his way. He had explained the boy's situation to her not to persuade her to steer clear of him, but rather so that she would understand things ahead of time. Strolling into a situation blind could get you killed.

To his slight surprise, the fire he'd witnessed in her eyes the day he took her under his wing reappeared. "So, then…" He arched an eyebrow as an awed smile broke out across her face. "He's a hero?" His eyebrow raised further. "Since he's got the demon locked up in him so it can't hurt anyone, that makes him a hero, right?"

The eyebrow dropped, and turned his head back forward. "If you want to look at it in that manner." After a long moment, he glanced back down at her, nearly scowling when he saw that she still wore that idiotic grin. "Stop smiling," he hissed.

She ducked her head, pressing her lips in a hard line, but the smile still peeked through. He glowered at her in irritation before grunting.

Sakura was a smart girl. She knew that Sasori was in Konoha illegally, and she knew that he didn't exactly follow laws. So she wasn't particularly surprised when he produced a thick roll of currency from his pocket which she was certain she didn't want to know how he'd obtained. He bought her two sticks of dango and a bottle of water from a small tea shop and thrust them into her hands, watching her like a hawk as she ate. No sooner than she popped the last dumpling in her mouth, he demanded ten more laps around the village and disappeared with his "I'll be watching" warning.

Sakura frowned to herself, puffing out her cheeks at the half-full water bottle in her hand. Ten laps? That was going to take _forever_. She could walk a mile in about eighteen or nineteen minutes, and Kami only knew how many miles it took to do a single lap around the village. Sighing for the thousandth time, she got on it.

Best not to piss off the sensei.

* * *

**Monday**

She groaned when she sat up in bed, scowling at the clock as it blinked _4:52_ at her. This whole five a.m. thing wasn't working so well. She glanced toward the window ledge, only to find Sasori leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest.

"From now on, I expect you to get up every morning at the correct time without my supervision." She automatically reached out to catch the energy bar he tossed at her. "On days that you attend the academy, you will spend two hours doing arm and leg strengthening exercises before leaving. Once your training has progressed, you will go through katas in place of this." He shifted to stand straight. "Are you clear on the subject of your exercises, or shall I demonstrate?"

"I got it," she mumbled between mouthfuls.

He walked out without replying. Once she downed the last (dry, tasteless) bite, she tossed the wrapper in the trash and slid down to sit on the floor. She gave a satisfied sigh as her knees and elbows popped before she stretched out her legs, eyeing the weights he'd told her to never take off, no matter if she was sleeping or in the shower. Grunting, she got to work.

.

Sakura poked her head into the classroom quietly, eyes darting around warily. No one was looking at her.

Well, here goes nothing.

She stepped soundlessly into the room, practically leaping into the first empty seat she spotted. Thankfully, none of the girls noticed her; they were all too busy gushing over her classmate, Uchiha Sasuke. Upon hearing a familiar voice, she looked up. Naruto was complaining about something while one guy threw an annoyed, "Shut up, you moron," at him. Sighing yet again, she pulled out a scroll ("During your free time at the academy, read this." "Huh? What is it?" "It pertains to chakra control. We will not be working on this until your speed has increased to a sufficient level, but I expect you to be prepared ahead of time.") and set to reading.

She had only gotten seven sentences into the script when a loud, "Hey, Sakura-chan!" reached her ears.

She carefully avoided looking at anyone else as she glanced at Naruto, feeling multiple sets of eyes upon her. She nodded to him stiffly, fingers gripping the edges of the scroll with more force than necessary. He grinned impishly at her, waving almost spastically. She vaguely wondered if he suffered from ADD.

"'Morning!" he called enthusiastically.

She swallowed to wet her rapidly-drying throat. "'Morning," she managed to choke out, nearly wincing when the stares on her grew as she spoke. Many of the students had never heard her voice before.

"Hey! Hey!" He was frowning immensely, flailing an arm around as he pointed wildly at the empty spot beside him. "How come you're sitting all the way back there, huh? ! You're, like, a mile away!"

_Oh, Naruto._

She appreciated his kindness, but she wanted him to _pipe down_ so everyone would quit looking at her. Face white as a sheet, she stood up in one jerky motion and all but leapt to sit at his side, hands shaking. Catching the murmurs surrounding her from other students, she bit the inside of her cheek.

What the heck was she doing? Getting shy and nervous in front of her classmates — how stupid. Just because they basically hated her didn't mean she had to be afraid of them. Sasori would be disgusted.

At that thought, she immediately sat up a bit straighter.

Sasori.

She couldn't let him down.

Whatever she did, she just couldn't allow herself to make him disappointed in her.

* * *

**One Week Later, Thursday**

"And he just disappeared! It was so _cool_!"

A small smile played on her lips as Naruto recounted the tale of how he'd jumped Iruka-sensei in an attempt to steal his hitai-ate. She was halfway done with her thirteenth lap around Konoha — having been increased to twenty at a time that morning — and her blond-haired companion had joined two rounds previous. His never-ending stamina amazed her; how he managed to walk and talk so vibrantly (while making over exaggerated hand and arm gestures) at the same time, she would never know. It made the truth about how painfully lacking she was in the physical department really sink in.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, how come you walk around the village every day?"

She played it off coolly, trying to copy the way Sasori would have replied. "I like walking. I get to see new stuff."

"Eh?" He frowned slightly, scratching at his head. "Well, if you say so…" A moment later, he was back to chatting animatedly. "So, yeah, like I was saying—"

Sakura just smiled, listening to every single word he said. Between Naruto and Sasori, she was slowly learning how to talk properly without squeaking or glaring at whoever spoke to her.

Not that anyone else in the class ever talked to her.

* * *

**One Week Later, Sunday**

Sakura was torn between groaning and puffing out her chest in pride as Sasori removed her weights and strapped on new ones that were twice as heavy. Upon standing, however, that pride flew right out the window as she fell flat on her face. Sasori sighed incredulously.

"Stop making a fool out of yourself and get up out of the dirt," he said flatly. She scrambled to her feet unsteadily, thoroughly embarrassed. He grunted, tossing her an energy bar before turning and walking off to Kami-knows-where. "Fifteen laps today, then five more after lunch to become accustomed to the extra weight. Get going."

* * *

**Wednesday**

Sakura no longer had to look at Sasori to catch the energy bar he threw in her direction every morning prior to going out. He noted this silently as he cloaked himself in his usual henge.

* * *

**Friday**

Sakura glanced around in surprise as Sasori took her to the abandoned training grounds for the first time in — what? Three weeks?

"Run to the tree and back," he ordered simply.

He didn't need to indicate which one. Shooting him a confused look, she did as he said. When she slid to a halt before him moment later, his expression hadn't changed.

"Again."

Barely restraining a frown, she heeded his instructions. As soon as she saw his mouth open when she stopped in front of him the second time, she immediately made a third, fourth, and fifth trip. He placed a hand on her shoulder before she could go for a sixth. Puzzled, she waited for him to explain why they were reverting back to this. His statement was matter-of-fact when he finally spoke.

"Calm your breathing."

She frowned openly at him. "But I'm not—"

She broke off, eyes widening. He watched her with a knowing look.

Her breathing wasn't labored in the slightest. Her lungs weren't bitching at her, and her heart felt perfectly normal.

A large grin cracked across her face, earning an irritated glower. "Stop that," he growled. "You still have a long way to go. Now do your laps — all twenty of them — and quit wasting time."

Despite his harsh tone, Sakura continued to smile as she jogged off to start her laps. The split-second of an approvingly glint in his gaze was all she needed.

* * *

**One Week Later, Saturday**

Sakura didn't object as she was led to the training grounds again. She unconsciously rubbed the wrists bands he'd strapped on her and covered in bandages.

Two kilograms. Four-and-a-half more pounds of weight for her arms.

She was only given a moment to ponder this new development before Sasori spoke.

"Your speed is adequate at the moment," he said evenly. "For the next two weeks, we will be working on taijutsu. After that, each day will rotate between speed and taijutsu training."

She gave a firm nod. He pointed to a wooden post.

"Fifty punches with each fist, switching hands after every strike," he instructed. "Focus on dealing damage to the post, rather than strengthening your muscles."

She wasted no time in stepping forward and taking her stance. Sasori watched silently as she slammed her right fist into the wood, then immediately went at it with her left. Her knuckles were bleeding after only twelve or so strikes, but she didn't flinch. Twenty jabs later, though, a grimace was beginning to settle in.

"Ignore it," he ordered, to which her expression steeled and her punches became more forceful. "As a shinobi, you will have to develop a stronger pain threshold. At the first sign of weakness, your opponent will take you down without hesitation."

A crack sounded at her next punch, but she continued her exercises, back stiff, not blinking. He grunted, eyes watching her every move. When she executed her last hit, she remained still, fist touching the post. After a minute, she straightened up. His gaze flickered momentarily to her bloodied knuckles.

"A group of academy girls stomped on your hands," he told her bluntly, crouching down to unwrap the bandages. "They decided to take advantage of your slower reactions when they saw you trying on your aniki's weights due to curiosity. But because the weights belong to your aniki and you're afraid to tell him what happened, the medics can't remove them." She nodded wordlessly, committing the excuse to memory. "Get the fracture mended at the hospital; any scars left are unimportant." He stood and turned. "You will come to acquire multiple scars in time. Get used to them."

He disappeared.

She stared at the place where he'd been standing heartbeats before. Then, sighing, she slowly made her way to the hospital.

* * *

**Monday**

"Ne, Sakura-chan, how come your hands are all bandaged up? Did you get hurt?"

She glanced at him uneasily, chopsticks halting over her bento box. They sat outside, somewhat away from the other students, basking in the shade of a large tree. The joys of lunch time.

"How good are you at keeping secrets?" she finally asked, voice barely a mumble.

His face lit up like the sun. "I'm _great_ at keeping secrets!" he whispered back, catching onto the "low profile" waves she was giving off.

"Just…" She paused. "Just don't tell anyone, 'kay?"

He nodded eagerly, shifting to sit facing her with his legs crossed. He leaned in close, pleased with himself for finding an excuse to do so. "I won't," he promised, and despite his excitement, she could tell that he was being truthful. He'd keep his mouth shut.

"Alright." Her eyes darted to the other kids, making sure they were out of hearing distance. "I…I stole my aniki's weights so I could practice with them."

She quite obviously couldn't tell him that her "aniki" wasn't actually a legal citizen of Konoha, and she doubted he'd take well to the news that she was being trained while he wasn't. His eyes stretched wide.

"Whoa, really?" She nodded. He grinned. "That's _awesome_, Sakura-chan!" he whisper-yelled.

She smiled back, relieved.

"Hey, hey! Are you gonna eat that last onigiri?"

Laughing, she handed it over. Two empty cups of instant ramen littered the ground beside him, but he was still hungry.

Sakura wasn't sure which was bigger — his heart or his stomach.

* * *

**One Month Later, Friday**

Sasori gazed approvingly at Sakura's latest transcript as she stood before him, shifting nervously in place.

Ninjutsu: A-

Taijutsu: A-

Genjutsu: A+

Weaponry: B+

Academics: A+

Cooperation: C

Positivity: D

Classroom Attitude: B-

Her taijutsu had gone up from a 'B' to an 'A-', while her positivity and classroom attitude had both ascended from an 'F' and 'C-' respectively to a 'D' and 'B-'. Amusingly enough, her cooperation hadn't changed.

His eyes lifted to her. She stilled.

"Twenty laps," he informed her smoothly. "Run for as much of it as you are able. No breaks. After that, we will continue with accuracy exercises."

She nodded quickly and darted off to do as he said. He eyed the weights on her shins, forearms, and wrists. They were already a part of her body, if her movements had anything to say about it. He'd have to increase them again in the next week or so.

* * *

**Monday**

On her way home from the academy, something bugged her in the back of her mind, but try as might, she couldn't figure out what it was.

The answer came to her barely a moment later, but not in the way she'd been expecting.

Sakura suddenly ducked as alarm bells flared in her head, twisting around with her arms up in an almost Hyuga-like stance. Five girls stood behind her, startled at her sudden move. She was almost surprised; these people hadn't terrorized her in a while. Then, the leader — a purple-haired girl by the name of Watanabe Ami — sneered.

"You think just 'cause you're friends with the blond baka that we'll leave you alone?" she taunted. "He's a total loser — just like you, Billboard Brow."

She schooled her expression into one she'd seen Sasori make more times than she could count: indifference.

"I don't have time for you," she said simply, then turned on her heel and walked away.

The girls stared after her, mouths agape. Face bright red, Ami scowled and snatched a rock off the ground, chucking it at the tiny pink-haired girl. To their disbelief, she suddenly whipped around and decked their leader, simultaneously avoiding the rock. Ami fell to the ground screaming, hands flying to her bloodied nose. She flew to her feet and scrambled to run away with her partners-in-crime. Sakura watched them for a moment before continuing along her way home.

She dug her toes into the ground just as she was turning, however, when she sensed a familiar presence appear directly in front of her. Nearly crashing into Sasori, she looked up at him. His face was pleased. Without a word, he walked off, obviously intending her to follow. She hid a smile and sprinted after him, feeling mighty proud of herself.

Ami and company never once approached her the following day, and she couldn't recall ever seeing them again.

o

In two years' time, her grades had improved considerably. She began getting straight 'A+'s in taijutsu, genjutsu, weaponry, and academics. She even came home once or twice with hand-written notes from her sensei, commenting on her "superb genjutsu abilities". Her positivity never really raised above a 'D+', and her classroom attitude ascended to a 'B'. Cooperation consistently remained the same, while her ninjutsu, however, had fallen to a 'B-'.

Sasori hadn't exactly needed to teach her genjutsu, but there was always room for improvement, so he'd given her illusion scrolls to study. Taijutsu had been more difficult to teach, seeing as it was his own weakest point. So, for that, he'd had her attack trees and wooden posts for a month or so; after that, he'd introduced her to his Puppet Master technique and made her fight his two weakest puppets.

Accuracy with weapons was, perhaps, the easiest for him to teach her (other than strapping weighs on her and telling her to go run around, of course). He'd waited until she could throw a multitude of weapons properly before showing her a technique of his own: attaching chakra strings to the weapons and pulling them back to her. She'd been amazed and had wanted to do it herself. Upon finally agreeing and demonstrating again, he finally discovered her nearly perfect chakra control.

Controlling one's chakra was no easy task. Most jonin had barely passible authority over their own, not to mention how horrible chunin, genin, and academy students were at it. But she was different. Her control was phenomenal. He'd even venture to say that it was better than his own.

So one day after he'd sent her off to run laps around the village, he paid a visit to the Konoha library. Upon returning home, he dumped a pile of medical scrolls on her and told her to get reading.

Medical ninjutsu was, perhaps, the most difficult form of jutsu in existence because it required such an intimate control of chakra. His own grandmother had been a field medic and a puppet master, but he himself had never really gotten into healing. But because he had (limited) knowledge on the subject, he knew it would be the perfect thing to give Sakura.

She exploded into improvement with medical ninjutsu. She ate it up and demanded more faster than he'd thought possible. She was a natural at it. Once she'd been through every single medical scroll in the library more than twice, he'd reverted to snagging higher-ranking ones from the Hokage's private library. Only the village leader and any he deemed worthy were allowed into it, but he seriously doubted that anyone would be looking for healing-relating information there. Nevertheless, he only took two at a time and replaced the ones she wasn't using. Eventually, though, those ran out as well. It both irritated and impressed him. After that, he'd had to start stealing them from other countries. As her library of bootlegged scrolls became more vast, her medical abilities grew even more impressive. He had no doubt in his mind that if she were a bit older, she'd be welcomed as a top medic into the hospital with open arms.

While reading an Amegakure scroll one night, she came across a faintly familiar name: _Tsunade_. Instead of questioning Sasori (he was somewhere off in Kusa, most likely stealing more scrolls), she looked her up in the Konoha library. Apparently, the woman was the greatest medic in history. Deeply interested, she studied her further, hoping to find special jutsu Tsunade had created. Upon discovering that she hailed from Konoha, it clicked:

She was one of the three legendary sennin.

Even more engrossed with learning about her, Sakura began to study the woman's other techniques. One in particular caught her eye.

"_Can I learn this?"_ she'd asked Sasori eagerly one evening, holding open a large scroll.

He'd taken it from her, curious as to what had so strongly grabbed her attention. His eyes drank in the word _Tsunade_, and that was all he needed to know.

Tsunade was infamous for her medical skills; that much was true. But she was also well-known for her ability to shatter mountains with one punch.

"_Fine,"_ he'd told her, rolling up the scroll and handing it back. _"But do not attempt to utilize this in the academy."_ At her confused look, he'd elaborated. _"You may learn this for now, but you are not to use it until you become a genin. Is that clear?"_

Though disappointed, she'd agreed.

It took her much longer to grasp the concept of chakra-induced blows than it had medical ninjutsu, but she believed she'd gotten the hang of it after another year-and-a-half.

Despite this, however, her grade in ninjutsu continued to remain average at best, falling yet again to a 'C'.

Elemental ninjutsu was definitely not her strong suit, Sasori decided. Transformations, substitutions, and clones were painfully easy for her, but everything else — even some that _weren't_ elemental ninjutsu — seemed far beyond her. Training her for this was the most difficult of all. In half a year more, her ninjutsu arsenal (not including medical) consisted only of the three aforementioned jutsu, Shadow Shuriken, Cloak of Invisibility, and Rope Escape. It was above average for an academy student, but not pleasing to either Sakura or Sasori.

The furthest they ever went in the area of elemental ninjutsu was using chakra testing paper. When the paper tore in half, Sasori informed her that her chakra nature was wind.

And that was that.

* * *

**November 8th, Friday**

Ten-year-old Haruno Sakura frowned as she unlocked the door to her apartment. Sasori hadn't appeared to give her the next training assignment while she was walking home. She closed the door behind her, looking around curiously.

"Aniki?" she called, growing slightly worried. She couldn't sense his chakra anywhere. "Are you there?"

Nothing. Placing her bag down on the coffee table, she poked her head into the kitchen. A piece of paper taped to the fridge caught her eye. Blinking, she walked over and grabbed it. Only two sentences were written.

_You have improved greatly. Continue working so that you may one day track me down to fulfill your end of our deal._

The room spun. She leaned heavily against the counter to steady herself, eyes stretching impossibly wide.

He was…gone?

But, why? Why had he left? Was she not good enough?

No. Surely not.

He'd told her to find him in the future and pay him back for training her.

So that meant he still cared…right?

Eyes squeezed closed, teeth gritted, she all but collapsed against the counter, sliding down slowly to sit on the floor. She banged her head back against a drawer, willing herself to be distracted by the pain to keep from crying as she felt a familiar warm stinging in the corners of her eyes.

Then, a scroll rolled off the counter and fell into her lap. Head snapping down, she stared at it. After a moment, she reached her hand up and felt around blindly, discovering three more similar scrolls. They were all tan in color with dark red rims. Curiously, she opened one.

_The rarest of the five basic elemental chakra natures, Wind Release techniques are best used in short-to-mid-range combat._

Sakura stopped reading after the first line.

Wind Release?

Her gaze slid to the insignia at the top right of the scroll.

_Sunagakure._

Her eyes nearly widened again.

He had stolen these from _Wind Country_?

Oh, Kami; that was serious. Who _knew_ what kind of Wind Style jutsu these scrolls contained.

Before she could contain herself, a smile broke out.

He wanted her to learn elemental jutsu. Then, fine. She'd do it.

And when she finally got strong enough, she'd track him down and become the tool he had asked of her. She would be his weapon — his living puppet.

She would make him proud of her, if it was the last thing she ever did.

* * *

_Now, my marionette, dance without my strings._

_Enchant me with your terpsichore as you sing,_

_For only this will dissipate my poison's sting._


	3. Keepsake

This chapter is a couple pages shorter, but had I cut it off at the other place I first decided upon, it would have been painfully long...

Yes. Anyways.

I got a question about the poem at the end of each chapter, so here it is: I wrote them myself. ^^ The one at the end of this chapter might confuse a few people, so to clear things up a bit, it basically means: "Dance for them and show them your king card, but don't show them your ace because only I am allowed to see your true self." "Show them your face" means "show them your face card" like jack, queen, king, and ace. Hope that helps!

Like I said, these next few chapters have slowed down.

Please read and review! :)

* * *

**Keepsake**

* * *

**Friday**

When Haruno Sakura, twelve years old, proudly wearing her brand-new genin hitai-ate tied around her left hip, walked into the classroom where all graduates were to be assigned their teams and wait for their sensei, she immediately noticed something was off.

First off, Naruto wasn't in his usual seat. She alone knew about how the blond had actually graduated after the tests; he wouldn't give her any details, but she didn't push for them. He typically sat between the center and front of the classroom — row three, seat C12. Today, however, he was in row seven, seat G03. Seat G02 was, thankfully, untaken, so she made her way down the stadium-like stairs.

Second off, Uchiha Sasuke — a.k.a., "Mister Cool," in Naruto's words — was in seat G01, closest to the window on the left side of the room. Since when did those two sit within fifty feet of each other? They seemed to be blatantly ignoring one another, however, so she waved it off.

And finally third: a group of very angry-looking girls were crowding around Naruto.

Girls crowding around Naruto? Yeah. That never happened. Angry or not, they always avoided him like the plague (unless they were yelling at him from across the room).

Standing at the front of the posse, she noted somewhat distastefully, was an annoying blond-haired girl by the name of Yamanaka Ino. She seemed to be bitching the poor boy out, if her rapidly-moving mouth and Naruto's scared grimace were anything to go by.

So, Sakura did what any girl with her head screwed on properly would have done.

She walked forward, pushed past the girls without a word, and sat her happy ass down on the three-seat-spanning desk right in front of Naruto. Her legs hung off the side, and she propped herself up with her arms lazily. The girls stared at her stupidly for a moment, and her best (only) friend had gone bright red. She arched an eyebrow smoothly in a way reminiscent of a certain red-haired man that had been gone for slightly over two years now.

"Is there a problem, here?" she asked indifferently.

Ino, apparently the first to recover, scowled at her.

"None of your _business_, Billboard Brow," she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why don't you run along and go cut that ugly bubble gum out of your hair." She drew a hand over her mouth in mock surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry — that _is_ your hair." They all started laughing.

Sakura gazed at them coolly despite the indignant anger burning on Naruto's face, then gave a fake smile. "Thank you so much for clearing up that fact for me," she said cheekily. "You know, you should really stop wrapping so many bandages around your chest. People are going to start thinking you're a girl."

Ino gasped, scandalized. Naruto slapped a hand over his mouth, accidentally letting slip a loud snicker. The room was suddenly silent. Everyone was staring at them, holding their breaths. Face burning, Ino gritted her teeth and lashed out to slap her.

"You _bitch_!"

In one fluid movement, Sakura snatched the girl's wrist halfway through the swing and slid off the desk, slamming her onto it stomach-first. She used one hand to press Ino's arm into her back, earning a startled cry. Phony smile in place, she leaned over her.

"You see, I'm not a very patient person," she murmured. "I despise wasting time — and you? You're wasting my time. Now," — her fingers tightened painfully on the blond's wrist — "you can either quit your squealing and leave my _friend alone_, or I can throw you into the front wall. Take your pick."

Ino growled defiantly beneath her, squirming in an attempt to break free. "Get your filthy hands off me!"

Sakura's expression didn't change. "Apologize to him."

She stopped for a moment, glancing over her shoulder in disbelief. "_What_?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, smile suddenly gone. "Apologize to Naruto. _Now._"

Ino paled slightly, swallowing. Four years with a missing-nin had taught the girl how to glare effectively at people. The other girls were too shocked (and a little scared) to help their fallen leader. When she made no move to do as she'd said, Sakura lifted her thumb from the kunoichi's wrist and jammed it down on a pressure point.

Gasping sharply, she choked out, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Satisfied, she let up her. Ino stumbled back to her friends, cradling her sore wrist and glowering hatefully at the pink-haired enigma. "You crazy bitch!" she screeched at her before hurrying away, demanding loudly to know why her companions hadn't stepped in.

Sakura glanced down at Naruto. "They didn't hit you, did they?" she asked calmly.

He stared up at her, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, faint blush on his cheeks. That was the first time she had ever openly defended him (because it was the first time he couldn't fight back; he didn't believe in hitting girls unless they were attempting to kill him). "I — I —" He grinned widely, eyes crinkling. "Thanks, Sakura-chan!"

She smiled back as if she were a mother watching her child while he basked in the warm, tingly feeling. "Anytime." With nothing else to do, she planted one hand on the desk and propelled herself over, barely managing — to her embarrassment — to land in the chair without toppling over. Thankfully, Naruto was beaming too brightly to notice and deduct coolness points.

"Sakura-chan, that was _so cool_!" he gushed. "That Ino chick is, like, freak'n _scary_!"

She just rested her elbow on the table and placed her cheek in her palm, smiling and listening as he went off on an unintelligible rant for how fast he was speaking. She felt many curious stares from people she didn't know, but she ignored them all. He continued even when Iruka-sensei finally showed up, earning an irritated, "Naruto, _pipe down_!" from said man.

They turned their attention reluctantly to the teacher, exchanging a "We'll talk later" look.

"From this day forward, you are no longer students, but full-fledged shinobi," Iruka began, to which Naruto groaned.

"He's giving us a speech he probably memorized last night," he whispered. Sakura sniggered.

"But," the brunette declared, not hearing them, "among the ranks of shinobi, you are mere novices — the lowest of the low." The two rolled their eyes at each other. "Your greatest challenges all lie ahead. The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all on behalf of our village. We will begin by dividing you into three-man cells." Naruto swallowed, shooting her an anxious look. She gave a reassuring smile, but neither of them really believed it. "Each of which will be mentored by a jonin, a more senior ninja, who will guide and coach you as you become familiar with your various assignments. I made the selections so that each cell's abilities would be approximately equal."

A few students gave indignant shrieks.

"Cell Number One," Iruka said sharply as he glanced down at his clipboard, quieting the objections. "Arikawa Moiji, Hoshikaze Shizuku, and Karuma Kisuke."

A groan came from the female member of the team, while Naruto and Sakura released breaths they didn't realize they'd been holding. Sending each other fleeting glances, they gave dry smiles and held up crossed fingers.

Kami, it was fun to act like a child, sometimes. It always ticked off _aniki_ when she purposely did stupid little kid stuff, but it didn't change the fact that it was pretty enjoyable.

"Cell Number Two."

When they didn't recognize any of the names, the pressure suffocating them lessened a bit. Teams Three, Four, Five, and Six passed smoothly, much to their relief.

Then, a familiar name was called.

"Next, Cell Number Seven: Haruno Sakura." She stilled. "Uzumaki Naruto." He gave an enthusiastic shout, leaping from his seat and fist-pumping. She just grinned, while Iruka paused to scowl at them. "And Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto abruptly fell over, and outraged screams erupted from the female population. Sakura sighed, shaking her head as he scrambled to his feet, sputtering indignantly. He jabbed an accusing finger in Sasuke's direction, to which the black-haired boy didn't react.

"Iruka-sensei, what the heck were you thinking?!" he demanded loudly. "Saddling a most excellent shinobi like myself with THAT LOSER?!"

The girls' shrieks became more hateful, while Sakura face-palmed. Iruka glared, placing both hands on his hips.

"Of the twenty-seven of you, Sasuke has the best grades, Naruto," he growled. "You would be at the _bottom _of the class." The blond gave a furious cry. "The idea is to balance your different strengths; _that's_ why you ended up together!"

"Tch," Sasuke muttered, hands folded before his chin. He remained looking forward coolly. "Just don't drag me down…dobe."

"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!"

Both Iruka and Sakura sighed. Naruto continued yelling at Sasuke, while Sasuke sat silently ignoring him and the kunoichi in the room screamed back at Naruto.

"Good lord," she mumbled, rubbing her forehead. There was no way in _hell_ she was getting in the middle of that.

"MOVING ON. Cell Number Eight: Hyuga Hinata…"

.

"This _sucks_!" Naruto grumbled, slurping noodles from his cup of instant ramen.

He and Sakura sat on the ledge of his window, eating and talking. After Iruka announced the last team, he'd dismissed them all for lunch. Since the blond had forgotten to stuff ramen cups in his jumpsuit that morning, they'd been forced to eat at his apartment (because he was _not_ about to skip his daily ramen).

"Look on the bright side," she said after swallowing a bite of her onigiri. "We could've been on separate teams."

"Yeah, I know," he muttered, tossing the ramen cup and tearing open another pre-heated one. "But _still_ — of all people, why _him_?"

She shrugged. "Maybe our new sensei requested him."

"_Eh_?" He frowned. "Who the heck would request _that_ jerk?"

"Highest grades, Naruto," she reminded him lightly.

"Yeah?" he countered. "So? You score better than him on tests."

"But he's stronger than me in ninjutsu," she returned.

He huffed, waving it off. "Ninjutsu, schminjutsu. I still say he sucks."

Sakura laughed. "He _is_ a jerk."

"He's a _total_ jerk!" the blond agreed, flailing his arms around wildly while somehow managing not to spill his ramen. "He's, like, a _Mega-Jerk_! The stupid bastard is so freaking full of himself, I feel like I'm drowning when I'm near him! I could _so_ kick his ass!"

She grinned slyly. "I bet you could."

He suddenly stopped, frowning at her. "Are you making fun of me? 'Cause that's seriously not cool, Sakura-chan."

Laughing again, she elbowed him playfully. "Of course not, Naruto. I've got no doubt that you could floor him."

He was back to beaming, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh heh, yeah. I _could_, huh?"

"Mmhm." She took a bite of her third onigiri. "Definitely."

.

"Why are we the only cell," Naruto began lowly, voice quickly rising in volume, "whose teacher hasn't shown up, yet?! All the other teams already left with _their_ teachers! Even Iruka-sensei is gone!"

Sakura arched an eyebrow, lounging on a desk and tapping her fingers impatiently on the surface as the blond shoved a chair near the door and stood on it to stick a chalk board eraser between the door and the frame. He leapt off, snickering to himself.

"That's what he gets for making us wait!"

"That's not nearly enough," the lone female of the team said venomously. "You should make him bleed. I _despise_ being kept waiting."

"Er, Sakura-chan, isn't that kinda…_much_?"

Sasuke snorted, sitting in exactly the same position as earlier. "There's no way a jonin will fall for such a stupid trap, idiot," he deadpanned.

Naruto stuck out his tongue childishly. Before Sakura could suggest something infinitely more vicious than the old eraser-in-the-door gag, a gloved hand appeared in the small gap. They all watched curiously as it slid open.

The eraser plopped on a head of wild silver hair.

Naruto burst out laughing and pointing, while Sakura glared silently.

"Gotcha, sensei!"

Sasuke eyed the man with a "what-kind-of-idiot-do-we-have-for-a-teacher" look.

He brought a hand to his (masked) chin, smiling brightly. "Hm," he murmured, chuckling. "How should I put this? Based on my first impression, I'd have to say…_I hate you._"

Lovely.

.

The three genin sat on the roof of the Ninja Academy, while their new sensei stood before them. Naruto had his knees drawn up before him, leaning forward on his hands. Sasuke sat quietly beside him, elbows on his knees and hands folded before his chin (again). Sakura was stretched out on the far left, one leg extended and one pulled up to her chest. She used one hand to brace herself on the concrete, fingering the ends of her now shoulder-length hair. She'd forgotten to cut it. Oh, well.

"Now, I'd like you all to tell us a little bit about yourselves."

She looked at him blankly. "…like what?"

"You know, the usual," the man replied, shrugging and motioning with his hands. "Your favorite thing, what you hate the most, dreams, ambitions, hobbies… Things like that."

"What about you?" Naruto countered, frowning. "We don't know squat about you, so why don't _you_ start?"

"Oh, me?" His eye traveled heavenward as if to dismiss himself as nothing. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I don't really feel like talking about my likes and dislikes, and my dreams for the future are none of your business… And hobbies…well, I have lots of hobbies." He beamed. "Now, you on the right. Your turn."

_What a load of bullcrap._ "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he declared, adjusting his hitai-ate unconsciously. "What I like is instant cup ramen! I like even better when Iruka-sensei treats me to Ichiraku ramen! I hate the three minutes I have to wait after I pour in the water! My hobby is trying different kinds of ramen and comparing them, and my dream—"

Kakashi sighed. _Is to become a cup of instant ramen?_

"—is to become the next Hokage!"

His eyebrow shot up. After a moment, he smiled. _Well, well. Hasn't he turned out interesting…_ "I see… Next."

The resident black-haired shinobi grunted. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke." His tone was blunt and to-the-point. "There are plenty of things I hate, but I don't see that it matters, considering there is almost nothing I do like. It seems pointless to talk about 'dreams' — that's just a word. What I do have is an ambition." Sakura knew exactly where he was going, having been filled in by _aniki_ a few years previous. Kakashi was also aware, but Naruto clearly didn't have a clue. "I plan to restore my clan and kill a certain someone."

The blond eyed him as if he was wielding a battleax. _Sure hope it ain't me…_

Kakashi's expression was unreadable. _I figured as much._ "And, now," he said, smiling at Sakura, "the little lady."

She looked at him acidly before finally speaking, to which he raised an eyebrow. "Haruno Sakura," she stated simply. "Like and dislikes—" She shrugged. "I dislike people who call me 'little lady'." The man chuckled. "And I dislike even more lazy, obnoxious people who waste my time and force me to wait hours on end for them to grace me with their presence."

Somehow, Kakashi had a feeling that she didn't like him very much.

"Dreams… Mm, no dreams. Hobbies… Nothing, really. Reading, perhaps. And, finally, ambitions." She smiled, eyes blazing a jade fire. "To get stronger." Kakashi's eyebrow raised again, and Naruto looked at her in awe. Sasuke barely glanced at her. "My ambition is to get stronger so that one day I'll be powerful enough to track down my aniki and prove to him that I'm worth the effort he put into me."

Sasuke froze beside her. Naruto wore an expression of "You-are-a-_god_," while Kakashi stared at her wordlessly, not even attempting to conceal his surprise.

"I wasn't aware you had an older brother, Sakura," he finally said, casting a quick look at Sasuke. The boy was watching her sharply from the corner of his eye.

She gave a fake smile. "He left two years ago. He told me to become the greatest kunoichi so that I could be useful to him." Her eyes were perfectly clear, telling of years far beyond her age. "After all, what good is a shinobi that isn't useful?"

Kakashi was silent. It was a long moment before he could find the words to speak. "And what do…your parents think of this?"

Her head tilted slightly, phony smile widening. All three of them knew it was fake, and she knew they could tell. "You mean the ones that are dead?" she asked deceptively lightly.

An uncomfortable silence reigned. Kakashi got the impression that she was challenging him. "Yes, well…" He grunted. "I believe we all understand one another. Formal training begins tomorrow."

Always the enthusiast, Naruto saluted. "Yes, sir! What's our mission?!"

"Our first mission involves only the members of this team."

Relaxing back into her normal disinterested persona, Sakura raised an eyebrow. "No client?"

He smiled. "No client."

"Huh? Then what the heck are we doing?" His eye traveled to the only blond present.

"Survival exercises."

"…survival…exercises?"

"Yes. Survival exercises. Only instead of like in the academy, you have to survive against _me_."

"And that's so important because…?" Naruto frowned when Kakashi chuckled. "Ne, what's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that…well, if I told you, you'd chicken out."

"What the — chicken out? How come?"

He nearly laughed at how predictable Naruto was.

"Out of the twenty-seven members of your graduating class, only nine will actually be accepted as genin. Eighteen must be sent back for extra training. This survival exercise we'll be doing…" He made himself as intimidating as possible. "…has a sixty-six percent rate of failure."

Naruto's face was absolutely comical, while Sasuke and Sakura all but glared at the masked man.

"See?" he told them, chuckling again. "You're chickening out already."

"That SUCKS!" Naruto yelled, slamming his palms on the ground (roof). "We've already been through everything! What about the graduation exams, huh?!"

"We wanted to eliminate all the hopeless cases from your ranks," Kakashi told him lightly, seeming to enjoy it far too much. "The ones left are the only students who show any true potential."

"SAY _WHAT_?!"

"In any event, we'll meet tomorrow morning at seven on the practice field so that I can evaluate each of your strengths and weaknesses. Bring all of your ninja tools and weapons." He beamed. "And don't eat breakfast beforehand…unless you like throwing up, of course." Sakura nearly sighed for the thousandth time that day, and Kakashi passed out papers. "The details of your assignment are on this handout. Memorize it, and don't be late."

Sasuke crumbled it up, obviously not interested. Naruto attempted to read it, groaning when he discovered that it was all in katakana. Sakura skimmed the contents.

* * *

_**Bell Test**_

_Team members will be required to obtain bells from the sensei through whatever means necessary within the allotted time._

* * *

She frowned. That was all it said. She eyed Kakashi dryly.

"I sincerely appreciate the time you took in which to incorporate such a vast deal of detail, sensei."

If she didn't know any better, she'd say that he was looking mighty proud of himself. "Glad to know you hold me in such high regard."

Just as he was about to disappear in a cloud of smoke, Naruto gave a low whine like a kicked puppy. Sasuke sneered at him, preparing to call him something that would most likely start yet another fight, but Sakura slid directly in front of him, facing the only ninja in existence who would ever wear a bright orange jumpsuit.

"You need to work on reading katakana, Naruto," she told him evenly. "Look here." She tapped the first line. "What does this say?" He looked at it blankly. "Let's take it one symbol at a time; what does the first character say?"

ベ

"Um…" He frowned deeply in concentration, squinting at it. "'He'?"

She shook her head. "You see these two marks above it? If it didn't have these two marks, it'd be 'he'. But _with_ the two marks…?"

"Wait…wait…OH! 'Be'!"

She smiled. "Good, Naruto. Now, the next one."

ル

"Er…"

Interested, Kakashi stayed to watch them for a moment. Sasuke, it appeared, was curious as well; he seemed to be ignoring them, but the fact that he hadn't left yet spoke legions. Kakashi smiled when he heard the girl congratulating him for figuring out the second, and almost instantly recognizing the third and fourth. He never thought he'd see the day when someone the boy's age sat him down and helped him so patiently.

"One more, Naruto. This one's easy."

"Yeah! 'Ro'! Er, uh, '_to_'!"

"Now, slowly — what does it say?"

He spoke each syllable as she moved her finger to every symbol. "Be…ru…te…su…to. Berutesuto. Bell test!"

She clapped him on the back. "We'll make a genius out of you, yet."

He grinned, sniggering like a kid that had just swindled someone out of all their candy. Sasuke merely grunted and climbed to his feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets before walking away. Smiling to himself, Kakashi disappeared, leaving Naruto in the girl's capable hands.

.

That night, Naruto pulled out his sandbag rope-hanging dummy and dressed it up like Kakashi (read: used markers to give it a slanted hitai-ate, one eye, and a mask). He then proceeded to make a dozen clones and beat the ever living shit out of it.

Sasuke simply went to his apartment and slept; the great Uchiha didn't need any last-minute practice to defeat his idiot of a teacher.

Sakura spent two hours sharpening and cleaning every single weapon in her arsenal before checking all of the equipment she intended to utilize the following morning — including her only keepsake from dear _aniki_.

**Saturday**

Naruto dragged himself out of bed with an enormous yawn, groaning as he toppled to the floor. He trudged into the tiny kitchen area wearing nothing but a baggy t-shirt, boxers, and a sleeping cap that suspiciously resembled a dog with its mouth wide open. His hand halted an inch away from the door of the fridge. A furious frown found its way to his face when his stomach rumbled.

"Stupid Kakashi-sensei and his stupid survival tests," he muttered, stamping back into his bedroom to get dressed.

.

When Sasuke awoke at six o'clock on the dot, he yanked on a fresh set of clothes and set out for the training grounds, intending to sit there for the next hour and wait. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, seeing as he couldn't eat breakfast.

.

Sakura rose at four-fifty for good measure. She downed a tasteless energy bar and a bottle of water, forgoing Kakashi's warning. If she was any kind of decent shinobi, she was sure she'd manage to keep her stomach from imploding. (The whole medic thing helped, too.) With two hours to spare, she made her way to the Konoha library to read up on her new sensei.

.

Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets like usual, posture completely at ease. Only the crease of his eyebrows and the scowl on his face betrayed his irritation. Naruto had resigned to sit two hours previous, growling and huffing angrily.

"Where the heck _is_ he?!" he shouted, slamming his hands on the ground. "He told us to be here at seven!" His teeth gritted. "And where's Sakura-chan?!"

When the girl finally appeared at ten-thirty she wore an expression of wicked amusement.

"What the hell, Sakura-chan!"

She nearly laughed as the blond freaked on her, demanding in words shrieked much too rapidly for her to catch why she was so late.

"You know," she remarked, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg, "it would do you two a lot of good to do a little investigating on people you'll be fighting. If you'd checked the library for information about Kakashi-sensei like_ I_ did, you'd have found that he generally shows up four hours late for every occasion."

Sasuke glared at her silently, while Naruto sputtered indignantly.

"That's — that's — AURGH! I'm gonna _kill_ him!"

"That's all nice and dandy," Sakura said flatly, "but we need to get down to business while we still have some time." She turned to Sasuke, and he eyed her suspiciously. "Alright, Uchiha, let's get something straight."

If she had been paying any attention, she would've sensed Kakashi appear amongst a few trees at the edge of the clearing. Her teammates — having no experience in feeling for chakra signatures — were just as clueless. Upon hearing that opening statement from the only female member of his team, the silver-haired man waited to listen to the rest.

"You don't like us, and we don't like you." The Uchiha rolled his eyes, but she continued as if she hadn't seen it. "The point, however, is that we're a team. We can strangle each other after this is over, but right now we need to focus. Can you honestly tell me that you think you can take Kakashi-sensei by yourself?"

He death-glared her. "I'm not like _you_."

She glowered right back. "Would you stop brooding off in your little corner for _one minute_ and _listen_?" she hissed. "Kakashi-sensei has much more experience in every field of fighting than we do. He's twice — probably three times — our age and size."

Kakashi grimaced. Having silver hair did _not_ make him old.

Unfortunately, he had brought that insult upon himself by never giving out his age to the people that wrote about him.

"According to his handout, we have to collect bells from him." Naruto nodded enthusiastically, proud of himself for reading the entire paper. "We'll have to get all the bells at once, then divide them up between us."

"I'm not getting the bells _for_ you," Sasuke scoffed, lifting his chin and turning his cheek in a manner of disgust. "If you two can't get them on your own, then you're even more pathetic than I thought."

Her fists clenched, and she barely restrained herself from introducing him to the techniques she'd learned by studying the sannin Tsunade. Four years with _aniki_ hadn't exactly taught her patience or a tolerance for jerks. "Look, you selfish, arrogant _ass_," she growled, earning a snicker from Naruto. "_You_ may choke on your own stupid ego for having to work with us, but you've got no other choice. We'd be complete _idiots_ to throw ourselves at him one-by-one, kicking and screaming like retarded chimpanzees. So unless you'd like to fail miserably and get sent back to the academy, we need to work together to bring him down."

"Tch." Eyes closed, he turned his head, blatantly ignoring her.

Sensing she was about to throw something at the boy — particularly something sharp — Kakashi took that chance to appear before them. He smiled, eye crinkling, and held up one hand in a lazy wave.

"Good morning, kiddies!"

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto screamed at him, jabbing an accusing finger.

Still smiling, he set his pack down by three wooden stumps and placed an alarm clock on the center pole. Entirely ignoring the blond's outraged shout, he continued on normally.

"I've set this alarm to go off at noon," he told them evenly. He held up his hand, displaying the goal of the assignment almost teasingly. "I have here two small bells. Your challenge is to steal these from me before the timer sounds in one hour. Anyone who fails doesn't get lunch. Instead" — he pointed cheerfully — "you'll be tied to that stump so I can eat your lunch in front of you."

Simultaneously, two stomachs growled. Sakura nearly smirked. The look of agonized horror on Naruto's face was priceless.

"All you need is just one bell…apiece." Sasuke's jaw clenched. Naruto frowned, and Sakura's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "But since there aren't enough to go around, one of you is definitely headed for the stump. And whoever that is will be the first to fail." The bells chimed mockingly. "One of you is headed back to the academy." Naruto swallowed. "You may use any weapons you see fit," he said simply. "But attack as though you mean to kill, or you'll never stand a chance."

Sakura sent a pointed look at Sasuke, who ignored it in irritation. Kakashi felt a sigh bubbling up in his chest.

"You couldn't even dodge an eraser!" Naruto laughed, grinning and folding his arms behind his head. "You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"He who barks the loudest is the weakest," he deadpanned. "Now, let's forget the dunce, here, and we'll begin on my mark."

The blond twitched violently, face twisting into a scowl. Furious, he snatched a kunai from his holster and leapt at the man. Before he could even blink, however, Kakashi had appeared behind him, yanking his arm back to aim the weapon at his own head and had one hand planted firmly amongst wild blond hair.

"Not so fast," Kakashi tsk lightly, beaming. "I didn't even say 'go,' yet."

Sakura could have face-palmed, while Sasuke merely smirked.

_So _this_ is the elite shinobi._ Perhaps he should rethink the whole "my-teacher-is-an-idiot-that-gets-hit-with-chalkboard-erasers" thing.

"But at least you struck to kill…," he murmured, eye crinkling. "So it seems you've begun to respect me." He chuckled. "Maybe…just maybe…I'm starting to like you three…Now. Ready." The three tensed. "Set."

Sasuke squared his shoulders. Sakura widened her stance, one hand flexing.

"Go!"

All three disappeared in a flash — Sakura grabbing Naruto and dragging him with her because she knew he'd try to stay and fight by himself if she didn't. Kakashi chuckled.

Oh, yes.

Brats or not, he was _definitely_ beginning to like them.

* * *

_Dance for them, my marionette, and show them your face;_

_The card of your king, but not your ace,_

_For by my side only is your destined place._


	4. Underestimation

Well, my pretties, I have two reasons and two reason only for my absense:

One: CURSE YOU, WRITERS' BLOOOOOOOCK! T^T

Two: ...flamers are so cruel.

I've been dealing with a flamer on my _Team Thirteen_ story who took it upon him/herself to insult my grasp of the English language, my writing skills, and my person in general simply because my story "killed off his/her brain cells", so I've been a bit busy. Sorry.

Anyways. I can't promise that I'll update soon, but I'll do my best. This story is going to follow Sakura throughout her entire time on Team Seven, so Sasori won't be back for awhile.

Also, the poem at the end: the last line basically means, "So that they may see just how far you'll go to succeed."

While I'm at it, I'd like to reply to a review from **laelruin**:

Thank you very much for telling me your concerns about the story. I just figured that since Lee could handle weights on his legs when he was twelve years old that caused mini-earthquakes to errupt when they hit the ground, a six-year-old could handle eleven-pound weights. Since they're all ninja, I'd expect them to be able to wear weights at a younger age than normal people — but that's just the way I see it. I'm sorry if you don't agree, but please pretend for the sake of my story, if you don't mind. Also, please don't be creeped out by Sasori's whole "You're gonna be my tool thing." (Haha, it does sound kinda creepy, now that I think about it...) It wasn't intended to be scary, and he won't be turning her into a human puppet; just think of their relationship like Zabuza and Haku's except without the whole "I'm about to be killed by this lightning attack; come stand in the way and get your guts blown out so I can live" part. And thank you so much for reading my story. :) It makes me very happy to know that you thought about it so much as to analyze the problems and still be interested in it.

Thank you all, as well. :)

Pleae read and review!

* * *

**Underestimation**

* * *

Sakura flattened herself to the ground beneath a thick tangle of undergrowth, Naruto at her side. Despite his compulsive nature, he knew not to yell out in complaint lest he give away their position. Kakashi stood in the middle of the clearing, glancing around curiously, and Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

The kunoichi could sense him, though — and it gave her an idea.

"Naruto," she whispered, voice so low that he had to strain to hear. "How good are you at making a clone?" To her confusion, his face split into a wide grin.

"Good enough, Sakura-chan," he replied quietly, eyes dancing with satisfaction.

"Can you conceal your chakra?" she asked. His blank look was all the answer she needed. "Alright, close your eyes." He did so without hesitation. "Relax. Feel your chakra. Don't grab it like you're about to do a jutsu; just touch it." It took him a second, but he accomplished it without fault. "Now, picture yourself throwing a cloak over it. Hide it."

She smiled as his chakra signature suddenly disappeared. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Kakashi's head snap up. He was a natural.

"Perfect, Naruto," she murmured, proud. "Just ignore your chakra; shove it away and pretend it isn't there. Then make a clone, but don't mask it's chakra."

He copied her as she followed her own instructions. Two clones appeared crouched behind them, and Clone Sakura grabbed Clone Naruto's arm.

"C'mon."

The copies leapt off and carefully made their way around the clearing to the opposite side, but just before they got situated, Sasuke made his move.

Kakashi ducked a sudden flurry of shuriken as if it was nothing. Head tilting to avoid a kunai to the face, he watched the Uchiha appear before him calmly.

"Ah. Sasuke." He smiled. "Well, I must say — I didn't expect you to be the first to attack. You're just like the other two."

"I'm not like them," he bit out distastefully.

In a flash, he flicked out a handful of shuriken. The second Kakashi dodged, he tugged on a hidden wire, springing a trap he'd set in record time. Eyes widening slightly, the jonin dropped backwards almost all the way to the ground as a rather large cloud of kunai hurtled overhead. Before he could even raise himself halfway, Sasuke called out the name of a jutsu that nearly made him freeze in shock.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

_What?_ he inwardly yelled in disbelief. _He can't do that! He hasn't got enough chakra!_

To his utter amazement, the boy launched a huge, deadly fireball that brought pride to the Uchiha name straight at him.

Naruto scoffed quietly from beneath their bush as Kakashi disappeared in the flames. "Nothin' special. He couldn't even _touch_ Kakashi-sensei, but I hit him with an _eraser_!"

Sakura remained silent, staring at Sasuke in awe. She was speechless. A boy his age being able to pull off a Fire Jutsu — especially one of that magnitude — was nothing sort of mind-boggling. His chakra levels shouldn't have been that thoroughly developed; that jutsu required chunin, maybe even _jonin_, skills. She, after two years of working-to-the-bone practice, had failed to execute even one Wind Jutsu in the scrolls given to her by _aniki_ because she just didn't have enough chakra. That guy — Sasuke? He was a prodigy.

What he _wasn't_, however, was a sensory type. Not by a long shot.

Sakura watched with something akin to amusement as he looked around furiously for Kakashi, who was hidden underground directly below him. She nearly snorted; that was just too good. If she had had a camera that could photograph chakra, she'd be taking pictures like no tomorrow.

But, sadly, she didn't. She doubted such a camera had even been created.

And no camera = no blackmail.

O woe is she.

Watching Sasuke struggle to find Kakashi, though?

Yeah.

Still funny as hell.

Naruto had nothing to say at this point; he was apparently attempting to figure out where the man was, as well. Wondering if he'd be able to do it even though he hadn't had specialized chakra training, she opted not to tell him.

This continued on for another minute — a minute in which she imagined Kakashi sniggering gleefully to himself. Despite how much she detested Sasuke, she knew she had to step in when she sensed that the jonin was about to attack. They were still a team, after all.

And it wasn't like they stood a chance without the jerk.

"Follow my lead."

Naruto glanced at her in confusion. Before he could ask what the heck she was talking about, her clone flew out into the open from the other side of the clearing. Obviously startled, his clone stumbled after hers. She watched (felt?) with satisfaction as Kakashi's signature spiked underground, signaling that he had frozen up in surprise.

Perfect.

Smirking, Sakura sat back with Naruto to let their clones handle the dirty work.

"Naruto, Sasuke — _move_!"

Even though the Uchiha despised the two idiots on his team, his battle instincts won out. He leapt up into the air as high as he could with Clone Naruto while Clone Sakura, not so much as pausing, reared back her fist and slammed it into the ground. Both boys studied her incredulously as she did so, wondering what in Kami's name she expected to accomplish.

Kakashi, who could detect her every movement from below ground by feeling the way her chakra flowed throughout her body, was baffled.

What good was punching the ground going to do? What — did she think her fist was going to magically pass through it without breaking and hit him? He had to give her credit for finding him, but still — was she _crazy_?

These thoughts all occurred in the split second before her blow landed.

And they all disappeared more quickly than they'd come when the earth around her exploded in a massive fissure.

A miniature earthquake devastating the area no less than twenty feet in diameter erupted beneath her fist, exposing Kakashi. Naruto nearly lost his balance when he and Sasuke landed. All three males stared at her in horrified (in the blond's case) disbelief.

"Kakashi-sensei, you really should do a better job of hiding. I'm insulted."

"…you—" was all he managed to choke out, lone visible eye wide.

Sasuke, seeming to snap out of his daze, pelted off another blindingly fast Fireball Jutsu in the hopes of catching Kakashi off-guard.

He nearly did. The man jerked back to alertness when the flames were near enough to singe his hair, and he disappeared in a flurry of leaves. The trio stood there for a moment, Sasuke and Clone Sakura scoping out the landscape while Clone Naruto eyed the kunoichi warily. The real Naruto shifted uncomfortably.

"Sakura-chan—"

"Not now, Naruto," her clone interrupted, trying to concentrate. "After we get the bells."

"_We_?" Sasuke hissed, glaring at her. "You're still stuck on this stupid _teamwork_ notion?"

"_Stupid_?" she echoed furiously, rounding on him. "If we hadn't stepped in, Kakashi-sensei would've _floored_ you!" In her anger, she gave up on all attempts to locate said man. "None of us — not _one_ of us — will get a bell if we _don't work together_!"

"There's only _two bells_!" he growled.

"Did you ever stop for a moment and wonder _why_? !" she flashed back, bringing him up short. "You idiot, he's doing it on _purpose_! He's pitting us against each other to distract us from working together! Open your eyes!"

"And if we _do _work together?" he demanded, attempting to find a hole in her logic. "When we have the bells, _who gets them_? Because _someone_ has to go back to the academy."

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't _care_ who gets the bells," she spat, surprising him — though he'd never admit it. "_You two_ can have the bells; the point is just that we _get them_." Sensing his next argument, she cut him off. "My goal is to get stronger, Sasuke," she said flatly. "Getting stronger doesn't mean rising in the ranks; hell, I don't care if I remain a genin for the rest of my life. Getting stronger means doing everything I can to make myself better, no matter what. It's about self-respect — _not_ respect from others." She turned her back on him. "From no one except aniki."

The last part was barely a murmur, but he still heard it. His expression hardened, and he grunted. "Whatever."

.

.

.

Kakashi sighed quietly to himself, crouching on a well-hidden branch a few yards from the clearing. He was by no means visible, but he could hear everything his team said.

He was impressed that Sakura had figured out the goal of his test, but she was going about it entirely wrong. It was a rule of nature: One cannot bully an Uchiha into doing something he/she doesn't wish to do. Perhaps if she had been a bit more patient with the boy…

…Well, he wasn't sure _anyone_ could be patient with an Uchiha, come to think of it.

But he had to commend her for trying, at least. Naruto was obviously content to forget about Sasuke altogether and just work with Sakura, while all Sasuke wanted was to do it by himself. And even though she had tried, Sakura had given up trying to convince them much too quickly. That definitely wouldn't work.

So, as much as it pained him, he'd have to fail them if they couldn't get their crap together.

And he was just starting to like them, too. What a shame.

.

.

.

Five more minutes of arguing, in which — suspiciously enough — Kakashi didn't even attempt to attack, only proved to further piss them all off. They continued yelling and insulting even after the conversation had ended (somewhere around the time Naruto called Sasuke a "baka-teme"). And as amusing as it all was, Kakashi was severely disappointed. Nearly grinding her teeth together in frustration, Clone Sakura ran a hand through her messy hair. The real Sakura and Naruto remained crouched down in the undergrowth, grumbling to themselves under their breath.

"_Look_, Sasuke," she said acidly, trying to reason with him. "It's simple: Help us beat Kakashi, and you get one of the bells. That's it. No tricks, no hidden motives, no _nothing_." She didn't notice the absence of the '-sensei' suffix.

His glare didn't waver. "If you can't get the bells by yourself—"

"And, _what_?" she snapped, quickly losing her cool once again. "You think _you_ can take down a jonin all alone? Are you completely _mental_?"

"If the dobe can hit him with an eraser, I think I'm _more_ than capable of taking him out," he retorted.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean? !"

They both ignored him. "There's a thing called 'dumb luck.' Look it up." They also ignored his outraged cry at her comment. "Back in the classroom, Kakashi wasn't expecting an attack — but out here? He'll see you coming a mile away."

"Tch." Sasuke started to walk away. "I don't have time for this."

Clone Sakura glowered after him. "Fine. But if we fail this because of you, I'll kill you."

He pretended he didn't hear. No sooner than he'd disappeared into the trees, presumably searching for Kakashi, said man appeared before the pair in the clearing. Naruto tensed, one hand darting for a kunai, but Sakura topped him.

"It's a clone," she reported, eyes narrowed. Truth be told, if he had even tried to match his clone's chakra level to his own, she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the fake and the real one. But he didn't need to know that.

Clone Kakashi also didn't realize he was facing Clone Naruto and Clone Sakura. By severely underestimating their abilities (genin weren't supposed to know how to mask their chakra), he'd unintentionally given them an advantage. He cracked a smile, proud that she had noticed.

"Shinobi Battle Skill Number One." His hands flashed through a series of seals much too quickly for either one of them to keep up. "Ninjutsu." Sakura's eyes widened, and she grabbed ahold of Naruto's wrist. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu."

An enormous dragon with a long serpent-like neck rose from the small lake behind him — _of_ the water. They both gasped, staring like fools; they'd never seen anything like it. For a moment, Sakura thought she was dreaming. Because surely, _surely_, that thing couldn't be real. Then, like lightning, it struck down at them with a wide-open mouth, showing off sharp-looking watery teeth.

Oh, yeah. Definitely real.

Adrenalin rushing through her veins, Sakura yanked Naruto behind her and threw up her left arm. Kakashi, unable to see his students as the water-creature crashed into them, watched curiously.

What was Sakura doing? Surely she wasn't naïve enough to believe the water wouldn't hurt her.

_No,_ he reminded himself. She _wasn't_ that stupid. She'd seen through his clone and detected his chakra underground. She'd even figured out his little game. Sakura was a smart girl; she must have had something up her sleeve.

Yes, it turned out, she most certainly did.

Literally.

Disbelief was evident on the man's face when his dragon finally fell. Sakura stood protectively in front of Naruto, her knees bent slightly in an excellent position for stability. The long red sleeve covering her left arm had been tugged back, revealing a skin-colored _thing_ strapped to her forearm. Thin pieces of it splayed out like fan blades, and a large, pale green circle — for a lack of better words — glowed around them.

_Chakra_, he realized, shocked. It was a chakra shield.

But what the hell was that _thing_ it had sprung from? He'd have to be careful, lest it contained other tricks he wasn't aware of.

"Whoa…," Naruto murmured quietly, eyes wide. "Sakura-chan…what _is_ that?"

"A keepsake from aniki," she said simply, flashing him a smile over her shoulder.

It was in that moment that Kakashi knew he wouldn't be able to separate the pair. They were practically joined at the hip. So, smiling discreetly to himself, he brought his hands into the tiger seal.

_Shinobi Battle Skill Number Two: Genjutsu._

Sakura and Naruto sensed his illusion the second it appeared. The former opened her mouth to warn her companion, but he was already caught. Clone Kakashi's eyebrow shot up as Clone Naruto poofed out of existence. Cursing, Clone Sakura dispersed as well.

_Interesting_, he thought, glancing around. _I never even sensed them making clones._ He then recalled the split-second he'd felt Naruto's chakra signature vanish. His smile widened. _Oh, _I_ see._ Chuckling to himself, the doppelganger disappeared. The real Kakashi, currently dodging another fireball — courtesy of Sasuke — beamed. _Well, well. They're better than I thought._

.

.

.

"Shit," Sakura muttered from beneath the bush.

Naruto frowned beside her, grumbling about "stupid genjutsu" and "stupid Kakashi-sensei." Though she didn't hear it, she suspected he was also silently complaining about "stupid Sasuke-teme."

"Now what?" he whispered, obviously frustrated.

"Now we pay Sasuke a visit," she replied just as lowly. "He's probably fighting Kakashi alone right about now, so we're gonna help him whether he likes it or not."

He nodded firmly, seriously. Despite his usual trickster disposition, he knew when a situation called for professionalism.

He truly _was_ a trickster, Sakura reflected with amusement. It took someone very smart to fool everyone into thinking he was a complete and total imbecile; she would know — she had seen it firsthand. Sure, he wasn't so great at academics and his level of common sense left something to be desired, but Naruto really was bright. He always knew exactly what to say to cheer someone up (read: manipulate people) and his battle instincts, from what she'd seen when they sparred at the academy, were very sharp.

Plus, now that he'd seen Sakura split the ground in two with just her fist, he was more eager than ever to avoid being punched.

.

.

.

"Shinobi Battle Skill Number Three: Taijutsu."

Not a second after the words left his mouth, Sasuke charged him. Kakashi jerked back to dodge a high kick aimed at his throat, twisting right a moment later when he spotted an incoming punch. Glaring, Sasuke turned on his heel and dropped to the ground. The jonin easily leapt to avoid a leg-sweep and, to his opponent's irritation, planted his palm on the boy's head to propel himself over. Sasuke whipped around and shot his fist out with surprising speed for an uppercut. When his blow was caught, he threw his leg up for a kick. Kakashi caught that strike as well, not realizing he'd just fallen into a trap. He was forced to drop the Uchiha's wrist when a kick from his other foot came, suspending the boy up by his ankles.

Sakura and Naruto appeared at the edge of the smaller clearing, distracting Kakashi long enough for Sasuke to get his fingers on a bell. Startled, the man tossed him away before he could grab it. Sakura eyed Sasuke with nothing short of respect, while the boy just smirked broadly, eating it up. Naruto's quiet mumble sounded suspiciously like, "Show off."

"I'll admit it," Kakashi said evenly, silently despairing that he hadn't yet gotten a chance to whip out a certain book that was currently burning a hole through the pouch at his hip. "You're not like the others."

Sakura's fists clenched, and Naruto gave an angry shout. Sasuke's smirk widened, and Sakura opened her mouth to tell him not to get cocky — but, then, the unthinkable happened.

Naruto suddenly gasped like a child being told he could have candy after being force-fed vegetables for his entire life. Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin, mortified with herself for reacting after _aniki_ had always taught her to never show that she had been caught off-guard. Shinobi were supposed to remain cool and collected, dang it! The blond darted to his left with a 1000-watt smile, laughing loudly.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, you dropped a bell!"

Then, to Sakura's horror, he bent to pick it up.

"Naruto, _no_!"

Too late.

A rope loop sprang from beneath the leaves and caught his ankle. He gave a shocked scream as he was jerked off the ground and slammed into the tree. He whined childishly, swinging back and forth like deadweight.

Then, like icing on the cake, an alarm rang out. Kakashi beamed.

"Well, would you look at that? Time's up, and none of you have bells!"

Sasuke and Sakura groaned at his overtly-happy tone. This couldn't be good.

.

.

.

Two stomachs collectively snarled as Naruto and Sasuke glared daggers at Kakashi, the former tied to a stump between his two teammates. Sakura, sitting on the far left, inwardly snickered at the fact that she had eaten breakfast when the two of them had heeded their sensei's fake warning. Despite that, she still glowered at the man as he smiled brightly back at all three of them.

"Oh, my," he remarked, wickedly amused. "Listen to all the little stomachs growl!" The glares didn't lessen. "By the way, you three… I have an announcement about this exercise."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow in a "What-could-_you_-possibly-have-to-say" manner.

"None of you need to worry anymore about being sent back to the Ninja Academy."

"YES!" Naruto yelled, attempting to jump for joy and fist pump while still remaining tied to the post. It was much harder than it appeared.

Sakura blinked in surprise, leaning back against her own post as she let it sink in. _None of us are failing, huh?_ she mused. _Maybe we made a good impression on him even though we didn't get the bells?_

"This _rocks_!" the blond cheered, squirming within the binds as if he was doing a victory dance. "It means all three of us—"

Kakashi cut him off with a smile that sent shivers down his spine.

"—Are hopeless," the jonin finished bluntly, suddenly looking very serious. Naruto's jaw dropped, while Sakura stiffened and Sasuke glared even more fiercely. "More schooling would be pointless. None of you will ever be shinobi."

"Wha—"

He didn't even give Naruto a chance to scream at him.

"Give it up." His voice was cold, unforgiving. "Not one of the three of you will _ever_ be a ninja."

"What do you mean, 'Give up'? !" the blond shrieked furiously, thrashing this way and that to free himself. "GIVE ME A BREAK! So maybe none of us got our hands on one of your stupid bells, but why the heck should we quit over that? !"

"Because," he said flatly, "not one of you has what it takes."

Then, of all things, Sasuke flew at him, clearly pushed beyond his limits. If Sakura hadn't been on the verge of being banned from shinobi training for the rest of her life, she would've face-palmed at his resolution tactics.

"What you are," Kakashi murmured, catching his student and slamming him into the ground before sitting on him, "is a trio of spoiled brats."

They all stilled when he glared at all of them.

"Are you trying to mock shinobi with your behavior?" he snapped. His eyes narrowed. "Did you even stop to wonder for one minute why you were divided into teams?"

Sakura abruptly unfroze and glared back at him with just as much intensity before switching her burning gaze to Sasuke.

"Teamwork," she ground out, fingers digging into the dirt at her sides. "Like I said _three times_."

Sasuke growled to himself, looking as though he was wishing her dead. Kakashi, however, leveled her with an icy stare.

"Saying it isn't enough," he retorted. "You have to actually _try_. And clearly," he continued, giving each of them an accusing look, "none of you were willing to do that." He shifted his weight on Sasuke to get a better position for what he was about to do, earning an irritated grunt. "Making a play as an individual is bad for the team and exposes your comrades to unnecessary danger. You might as well kill them yourself." Then, out of nowhere, he whipped out a kunai and pressed it against Sasuke's throat. "Sakura! Kill Naruto, or Sasuke dies."

While Naruto screeched a terrified, "WHAT? !" and Sasuke stiffened, Sakura dropped into an aggressive stance, kunai flashing in each of her hands. Kakashi, satisfied with their reactions, released Sasuke from his death-grip and put the weapon away. He stood up nonchalantly, allowing his unwilling volunteer to return to his post.

"The day may come when one of you is taken hostage," he informed them matter-of-factly, "and you're forced to make a similar choice. When on a mission, your lives will always be on the line." Slowly, as if reminiscing, he walked over to a large stone marker and placed his hand gently upon it. "Look at this marker," he said distantly, eyes never leaving the engravings etched into its surface. "All of the names carved into this stone…heroes of our village. Ninja."

"That's it!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning, seeming to have forgotten failing the bell test. "That's where I want _my_ name to go!" Sakura's head snapped around so quickly that the popping of her neck was audible. "I'm not gonna throw my life away! I'm gonna be a hero — just like them!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, while Kakashi glanced back at him, expression clouded with some unknown emotion. "Ah…but the ones listed here aren't just _any_ heroes…"

"Really?" Naruto leaned forward anxiously, grin growing larger. "Then what kind of heroes _are_ they? Huh?"

"They're _dead_, Naruto," Sakura replied flatly, green eyes steely. His smile froze in place, and Sasuke flashed a quick look in her direction. "The people who are recognized on that stone all died in the line of duty."

Kakashi gave a small nod of agreement. "This is a memorial," he said. "It includes the names of all of my closest friends."

Naruto stared at the ground, speechless. After a long moment, Kakashi turned to look at all of them sharply.

"Pay attention," he ordered, clearly not playing around. "I'm giving you all one last chance — one that will be far more difficult than our last little game with the bells." They all perked up. "If you're prepared to continue, you may eat one of the bento boxes." He waved a hand to indicate the two lunches sitting on the memorial stone. "But no sharing with Naruto. He goes hungry."

"Why? !" he demanded angrily.

"You brought it on yourself when you fell for such a basic trap," he deadpanned. Naruto grimaced, inwardly cursing himself for picking up that stupid bell. If either of you feed him, you fail the test right there." He glowered. "My word is law. Do you understand?"

He disappeared without waiting for a reply.

"This'll be a breeze!" Naruto laughed, smiling to himself like always. "I can go without lunch — no sweat!" As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly.

Frowning, Sakura walked over to the memorial stone and grabbed the two bento, tossing one of them to Sasuke. He nodded at her without meeting her eyes, sliding off the lidding and quietly beginning to eat.

"Naruto."

He looked up sullenly from staring at the ground in hunger-induced misery, nearly choking when Sakura stuffed a clump of rice in his mouth with her chopsticks. Sasuke said nothing as he watched them, his opinion on the matter clear when he didn't object.

"Wh-what? !" he coughed, barely managing to swallow the rice before she forced a slice of beef into his mouth. "Sakura-chan, what are you—"

"Quiet," she told him sternly, feeding him as quickly as she could. "I'm not hungry, and you need to eat if we're going to fight Kakashi again."

"B-but, Sakura-chan—"

She glared at him, not pausing in her efforts. He managed to smile awkwardly, embarrassed as he chewed on another piece of beef.

"…thanks."

That was when Kakashi suddenly appeared before them in a large explosion of white smoke, lone visible eye nothing short of furious.

"You!" he growled, earning a startled yelp from Naruto as Sakura dropped the bento and made a move to go at the jonin with a kunai. Sasuke flashed in front of his blond-haired teammate, crouched for a fight. Then, completely and utterly catching all of them off-guard, he beamed proudly. "_Pass_."

* * *

_Dance, and dance, and dance until you fall;_

_Dance for one, and dance for them all_

_So that they may see the height of your wall._


	5. Rudiment

Hey, guys! I'm so very sorry for the wait — but I have a legitimate reason. Or, rather, a _list_ of reasons.

1. I'm learning how to drive.  
2. I'm looking for a college and, in turn, scholarships.  
3. I have to write analysis essasys and poetry responses on a daily basis for AP English 12.  
4. I also have to read and analyze _Wuthering Heights_ for AP English, after which we shall be moving on to _Macbeth_.  
5. At the same time — and due on the SAME FREAKING DAY — I have to read yet another book for an outside reading log that I must complete a 10-page paper on.  
6. I have AP Chemistry homework — a crap load of it — every night on top of labs and lab reports.  
7. I have Spanish 4 Honors work to complete in the hopes of one day tutoring others in said language.  
8. I am currently teaching a Spanish 1 Standard class alongside the actual teacher for senior project, and one of those bright little idiots literally thinks that Iraq is located in South America. It goes without saying that I'm having a great deal of trouble with them, as about three out of thirty are actually going to pass.  
9. On top of all of this, my dad continues to flip his lid about the smallest things — like how I don't want to live on campus at college, and I don't want him to teach me how to drive because he keeps yelling at me when he does so.

Yes. I have been quite busy. My apologies.

But let me make this clear now:

I WILL NOT DISCONTINUE THIS STORY, NO MATTER HOW MANY MONTHS I GO WITHOUT AN UPDATE.

That's a promise. :)

ALSOALSOALSO —

I'm shooting for 200 reviews with this chapter! ^^ I won't update again until then ~

And you no longer need to say, "RING! RING! BANANA PHONE!" XD

So, without further interruption —

Please read and reivew!

* * *

**Rudiment**

* * *

Oh, how Kakashi wanted to laugh at the looks on their faces.

Their reactions were nothing short of hilarious, and _damn_ if it didn't just tickle him pink. Naruto, of course, was gaping at him in that classic bug-eyed, catching-flies-and-other-various-insects-with-his-insanely-wide-open-trap manner, while Sakura appeared caught between flat-out staring at him and beating her head against a solid surface.

_Sasuke's_ expression, however, took the cake. That very noticeable twitching of the eye accompanied by a quivering, kunai-wielding hand spelled out to the entire world that the poor boy didn't know whether to stab himself repeatedly in the face or shriek in frustration and throw a temper tantrum — neither of which was appropriate for an Uchiha.

Kakashi hadn't seen a look as satisfying as that on an Uchiha's face since the day he smugly informed his former teammate Obito that he had graduated from the Ninja Academy at age five.

Why was he holding back again? Since when did Kakashi ever stop himself from laughing at others if they made fools out of themselves?

…oh. Right.

The Sandaime had spoken to him the other day about something to do with "respectable shinobi" and "patient, encouraging teaching methods" or some other such nonsense.

"You're kidding me," Sakura said flatly, the first of three to recover. "You're freaking kidding me."

"What—" Naruto cut himself off and managed to work up an impressive amount of rage before bursting out with, "What the heck was _that_? !"

Kakashi calmly turned his gaze to the loudest of his students, sneaking a glance at Sasuke as he did so.

Heh. Still twitching.

"What was what, Naruto?"

His nonchalant question earned glares all around.

"_That_! !" the blond screeched indignantly, kicking and thrashing wildly as if attempting to leap at his sensei. "You scare the hell out of us with all that 'failure' crap, and then you tell us we _passed_? !" He yelled out a wordless cry in irritation. "Am I the only one here who thinks that's _seriously frick'n screwed up_? !"

Though he wanted to continue observing the rather enjoyable feedback he was receiving, Kakashi schooled his expression into one of seriousness. "You three have just taken a giant step forward."

Sasuke and Sakura wore identical frowns, while Naruto didn't drop his scowl. Their sensei gave the tiniest of smiles.

"Up until now, all any of you have done—" He paused, then corrected himself. "Well, Sakura, Naruto, you two got close — but basically all any of you have done up until this point is listen unquestioningly to everything I've said like mindless little drones." The singled-out pair weren't sure whether to take his comment to them as a compliment or an insult. "A true shinobi seeks for the hidden meanings beneath the hidden meanings."

Kakashi noted with a little flash of pride that each of his students seemed to be paying close attention to his words.

"It's true, those who violate rules and fail to follow orders are garbage — but those who do not care for and support their comrades are even lower than that."

"So, then," Sakura muttered a tad dryly, "if we're going to be trash, we might as well be good trash?"

Kakashi beamed. "Exactly."

Sasuke snorted, rolling his eyes. Naruto, however, stared at the man with a wide, admiring gaze.

_So…so cool!_

"The exercise is now concluded," Kakashi announced with no small amount of satisfaction. "You all pass." His eye crinkled, indicating a smile. "Your duties will commence tomorrow, Team Seven."

With an abrupt cry of victory, Naruto squirmed against the post he had yet to be freed from. "I did it! I did it!" he shouted, laughing and grinning. "I'm a ninja! Ninja, ninja, ninja!"

Sakura sighed, eyes closed as her lips slightly curled up at the corners. _My team is hopeless._ She could only imagine how _aniki_ would have reacted to such people. _But_, she reminded herself seriously, _I can't get too close to them. I can't let them conflict my loyalty to him._

But maybe, just maybe, she could allow herself to like them just a little bit. After all, it wasn't as if _aniki_ had a grudge against the village; there was no reason for him to ever attack any of them without provocation — and what could ever provoke him to do so? (Apart from Naruto's big mouth. And Sasuke's attitude. And Kakashi's smugness.

…great.)

Despite Sasuke's obvious irritation, they all knew the passing grade had inflated his ego by the way he stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets, and began to walk away without a single complaint. Kakashi followed him at a leisurely pace, surprising Sakura when he waited for her to catch up. That little action earned him smile, to which he smiled back. Naruto blinked in confusion, frowning to himself about how weird the smile they'd exchanged had been until it hit him.

"Hey! Guys! I'm still tied up, here! GUYS!"

* * *

**The Next Day**

As per usual, Sakura climbed out of bed at four-fifty and immediately made for the drawers of her dresser. She pulled the same attire she had worn the day before — a clean set, of course.

A long red top with a long left sleeve and a short right sleeve, uncovering a secondary sleeve of dark fishnet. A thick band of material much like the obi on a kimono tied around her waist, decorated in simple horizontal stripes of white, black, tan, and gray. Knee-length white shorts and black boots. A red headband tied around her left thigh. Her "keepsake" hidden beneath her left sleeve.

Simple enough, easy to move in.

.

.

.

Team Seven's first mission turned out to be less exciting than Naruto had hoped. Of course, he'd known that they wouldn't be sent on a covert operation to assassinate some S-Ranked shinobi from a distant land, but a guy could dream. He'd expected something more along the lines of playing bodyguard to the daimyo's niece, or even tracking down a sacred sword from the Lightning Country — but, no.

They were pulling weeds in a leek garden. And it was blazing hot outside without a single, sympathetic cloud in the deceptively benevolent sky. And Naruto was going to _kill_ this woman's kid if he didn't _stop climbing on his back and pulling his hair._

Sakura thought it was freaking hilarious, so she was no help at all, and _Sasuke_ wasn't about to touch the little brat. (Big surprise there.) Kakashi, curse that man, was nowhere to be found.

"You alright over there, Naruto?" Sakura asked cheekily, barely glancing up from the clumps of crabgrass she was ripping from the ground. Sasuke's hair shielded his eyes from his bent over position, but she was positive she could see a slight twitch in his cheekbone.

Naruto, on the contrary, was not amused. "You think you're _so_ funny, don't you, Sakura-chan?" Scowling over his shoulder at the three-year-old scrambling across his back, he muttered, "I wouldn't mind some _help_ with this."

Sakura's resounding shit-eating grin only served to irritate him further. "Sorry, Naruto; I'm busy right now. Pulling weeds, ya know?"

A snort sounded from Sasuke, and the blond rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just you wait — he'll be on _you_ soon enough."

Barely seventeen minutes later, she bared witness to just how true his words were.

Sakura glared big, fiery holes into the dirt as she ripped the weeds out with _far_ much more force than necessary — an orange-haired toddler clinging onto her shoulders and babbling endlessly about how pretty she was. Naruto was snickering to himself a few feet away, and she couldn't even glower at him; she was still suffering the last waves of, "Open mouth, insert foot." Sasuke had yet to comment, but she just _knew_ he was smirking over there.

"Oh, my," the kid's mother — Yuki-something-or-another — gushed, one hand on her cheek as she admired her son. "Isn't he just so _adorable_? That's my little angel! Oh, he's just so _curious_! So _cute_!"

"Yeah," Sakura grumbled darkly under her breath, too low for anyone except her two teammates (because the kid wasn't listening) to hear. "And he'll be _really_ adorable when I stuff his face in the dirt."

Sasuke made a strange sound as if he was clearing his throat, but both Sakura and Naruto knew better. That jerk was _laughing _at her. Biting back an insult she probably ought not say in front of the three-year-old, she smiled sweetly at said child over her shoulder.

"Akira-kun," she cooed — that was his name, right? — immediately earning his full attention. "Why don't you go play with Sasuke-kun?" The dark-haired boy stiffened, and she turned Akira's face toward him. "See? Doesn't he just look so _sad_ over there all by himself? I bet you could cheer him up." She winked. "I think he needs a _big ol' hug_, don't you?"

The kid's face split into an impossibly wide grin, and he nodded enthusiastically. "'Kay, nee-chan! I'll give him a _big, big, big_ hug!"

Sasuke shot her a deadly look, completely frozen in place, as the tiny ginger all but tackled him. She returned his hateful glare with an amused sneer.

* * *

**Two Weeks Later, Tuesday**

Hardly a sound flitted through the forest. The birds were mysteriously silent, as if they knew what was happening. The mice and voles remained cooped up in their nests, and the larger animals were nowhere to be seen. The stillness was unsettling.

A long figure stood in a small clearing, eyes darting to and fro suspiciously. He could sense that something was off. His muscles tensed.

Three shinobi had flattened themselves against the backs of trees near the clearing. Each of them kept their sharp gazes trained on the target, stances rigid in case he tried to run.

"_How far away is the target?"_

Kakashi's voice crackled in each of their ear pieces. Naruto pressed a finger to his communicator as he peered carefully around the tree.

"Five meters and closing."

"I'm in position," Sasuke reported, plastered to a tree a few feet away.

"Same here," Sakura agreed calmly.

"_Alright,"_ came Kakashi's reply. _"Go!"_

As one, the team leapt from their hidden spots and dove for the target. Naruto reached him first. With a shout, he locked his arms around the target's middle.

"Gotcha!"

Abruptly, the cat screeched and thrashed.

"_Remember,"_ Kakashi said, _"our quarry has a ribbon on its right ear that says 'Tora.' Make sure there's no mistake."_

Sakura eyed Naruto with a smirk as flailed on the ground, his face being ripped off by the angry feline. "Ow! _Ow!_"

"Target confirmed," Sasuke grunted flatly.

"_Good. Mission: 'Find the Missing Pet' is accomplished."_

.

"Oh, my Tora, my good little kitty, I was so worried about you, I could have died!"

Sakura and Naruto's grimaces of horror matched.

"How does that dumb cat put up with that?" the blond whispered, shuddering.

"You can't really blame him for running away," his companion agreed.

They shared a grim look as the woman — Lady Shijimi, wife of the ruler of the Land of Fire — practically killed her poor cat in a deadly hug. She continued gushing and squealing over her "darling Tora," even as she paid a man behind a large table for Team Seven's services and found her way out.

"That cat's gonna run away again."

"Definitely."

Kakashi shushed them when the Hokage motioned for them to come closer.

"Good work, Team Seven," he murmured, looking through scrolls. "Another mission successfully completed. Now, the next assignment will be…" He glanced between a couple different jobs. "Hm…to babysit for the Council of Elders…to run errands for the neighboring village…to help dig up sweet potatoes…"

"No way!" Naruto burst out, bringing his arms up in an exaggerated 'X'. "Nuh-uh! No thank you! BORING! Give us something different to do — something important! Something amazing!"

_He has a point_, Sasuke thought reluctantly.

Sakura's eye twitched. _He could have gone about saying _that_ a bit more tactfully…_

Kakashi sighed, closing his one visible eye in exasperation. _Be grateful for what you can get!_

"Don't be a fool!" Iruka snapped, slamming his hands down on the table beside the Sandaime. "You're still just a genin! Everyone starts out doing grunt work to get experience, and you'll eventually work your way up to the bigger assignments."

"But we've already done _tons_ of small stuff!" Naruto yelled back. "Can't we get some action? !"

"That's enough," Kakashi muttered, bopping him on the back of the head. "Knock it off."

"Every day," the Hokage finally spoke up, gaining the room's attention, "our village receives many requests for everything from babysitting to assassinations." Naruto perked up expectantly. "We then take those requests and organize them into categories from A to D — and S — based on the degree of skill they require. After we of the upper echelon have sorted through them all, we distribute them to the level of ability deemed most appropriate. Thus far, the three of you have only attained the lowest level; D-Rank tasks are the best you could aspire to accomplish." He took a deep breath, having talked himself out, and gauged Naruto's response.

"Hm…I had pork ramen for lunch yesterday, so I think I'll have miso today… What do you think, Sakura-chan?"

The Hokage twitched. "Are you even listening? !"

Kakashi attempted to apologize, but Naruto cut him off.

"Blah, blah, blah!" he retorted, hands on his knees as he sat with his legs crossed. "All you old farts ever do is lecture me! But it's not fair! There's more to me than the screw-up you think I am!"

Kakashi deflated. _I'm going to be in so much trouble for this…_

Sakura, however, smiled to herself and nudged Naruto's back with her knee to let him know she supported him. She saw his cheek tremble as he tried not to turn his head and grin at her. Iruka and the Hokage exchanged a knowing, almost fond look. The elder of the two closed his eyes, bringing his pipe to his mouth.

"Very well."

Kakashi was the only one of the four that seemed startled to hear the Sandaime's reply.

"Since you put it that way…" He folded his hands below his chin. "I will allow you to attempt a C-Rank mission usually kept for a chunin: the protection of an individual."

Naruto whooped and Sakura grinned. "Who is it? !" he asked excitedly. "Some lord? The daimyo? A princess? !"

The Hokage stifled a laugh. "Send him in," he called.

Slowly, the door was shoved open by a large, calloused hand clenched around a bottle of booze. "What's going on here?" The man, appearing more than a little drunk with a flush on his face and a red nose, eyed Team Seven disapprovingly as he leaned against the door frame. "They look like a bunch of wet-nosed brats." He took a long, noisy drink. "Especially the short one. He's got the face of an imbecile." His eyes were slightly unfocused. "This is a joke, right? You kids aren't really ninja, are you?"

Sakura arched an eyebrow skeptically, while Naruto turned his head to snicker at Sasuke.

"The short one? You mean Sa—"

He fell silent.

Sasuke was taller than him by five-and-a-half centimeters.

His face jerked around to the right.

Sakura was taller than him by three centimeters.

Silence.

That meant…

"I'LL KILL HIM!"

"No, Naruto, you _cannot_ kill the client."

.

"'_I'm Tazuna_'," Naruto mocked in a funny voice between mouthfuls of miso ramen. "'_I'm an idiot bridge-builder, so protect me with your lives, 'cause I suck_'! HMPH!"

Sakura snorted at the blond's complaints, trying not to laugh as she ate her own bowl of miso ramen. "Come on, Naruto; he doesn't sound _that_ stupid."

"He does so!" he cried in reply, attacking his fourth bowl. "In fact, he sounds _way_ stupider!"

The kunoichi grinned into her chopsticks. "Well, we're stuck with him until he's back home safely."

"This sucks!" Noodles sprayed from his mouth when he yelled. "We could've been protecting a freaking _princess_, but instead we got _that_ guy! Who the heck would wanna rob _him_? Seriously!"

"On the bright side," Sakura reminded him, "if we don't get attacked by thieves on the road, we'll get him home faster, and we'll never have to see him again."

He huffed, puffing out his cheeks as he glowered into his bowl of ramen. "Yeah, I guess so." She smiled.

"Come on, Naruto," she said, patting his arm. "Kakashi and Sasuke are probably already done eating at the dango shop. We should get to the village gates before our client gets pissed and complains the entire way to the Land of Water."

Naruto scoffed.

"Stupid geezer."

.

Naruto, naturally, was the first of their little rag-tag group to set foot outside of the village. Tazuna followed relatively closely, and Kakashi brought up the rear with Sasuke and Sakura. Almost instantly, the resident human battery flung up his arms and threw back his head.

"All _right_!" he shouted enthusiastically. "Road trip!"

Sasuke frowned at the blond's back, and Kakashi sighed wearily. He could already tell this was going to be a long mission.

"This is the first time in my life I've _ever_ been outside the gates!" he hooted loudly, strutting about and waving his arms unnecessarily.

Tazuna jabbed an accusing finger in his direction, scowling back at Kakashi. "Am I really expected to put my life in the hands of this imbecile?"

"There's no need for alarm," the jonin laughed uneasily. "I'm an elite ninja, and I'll be along here with you."

While Naruto inwardly ranted about the worst client in Konoha's history, Sasuke studied his surroundings. Truth be told, he'd never seen the outside world, either. Long ago, a certain someone had promised to take him on a stroll through the forest around the village on his first day as a genin — of course, that couldn't happen now. It would never happen.

As he gazed coldly at the trees on either side of the large, dirt road, he remained unaware that Sakura was studying his expression. When she turned to check on Naruto, he was already screaming at Tazuna for something.

"Listen, you old geezer! You don't mess with ninja — especially not a really good one like me!" She laughed at Kakashi's exasperated face. "I'm the elite of the elite! One day, I'm gonna be the next Hokage, so remember my name! Uzumaki Naruto!"

Tazuna was clearly unimpressed.

"Hokage, eh? Lord of your village? I doubt you could pull it off."

And there it went — the last of Naruto's non-existent patience.

"WELL, YOU'RE OLD AND STUPID!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Loser," he muttered, but the blond thankfully didn't hear him. They didn't need yet another shouting match on their hands.

"When I become Hokage, you're gonna wish you were a lot more respectful to me!"

The bridge-builder arched an uncaring eyebrow. "Respect you? I don't think so. Not even if you did become Hokage."

"YOU'RE DEAD!"

"I said _no_, you little dunce."

.

Surprisingly enough, after they had all calmed down, they walked in silence for a few moments. It wasn't until Naruto grew bored (stupid Kakashi wouldn't let him kill that old booze-hound) that he finally turned his head to Sakura and spoke up.

"Ne, have you ever been out of the village before, Sakura-chan?" he asked lazily, not really interested in the answer.

"A couple times," she replied smoothly.

Her companion nearly halted in his tracks. "You _have_?"

Kakashi glanced down at her curiously. "Academy students aren't permitted outside the gates."

She smiled falsely. "Aniki took me out once or twice." Sasuke was observing her sharply again. She shrugged. "He was allowed out, so they had to let me go with him." Once he presented an entirely forged shinobi identification card; he'd been particularly skilled at making such things.

"Man," the blond whined under his breath. "Not fair." Then, he beamed at her. "But now we can go out anytime we want, right?"

Sakura smiled back slightly. "Sure thing, Naruto." That is, assuming she wasn't busy training. And she was _always_ busy training. She didn't really _mean_ to let him down, but getting stronger was far too important at the moment — _As it always will be,_ she reminded herself tersely. _I can't be distracted. Not now, not ever._

Naruto, thankfully enough, didn't seem to notice her somewhat troubled expression.

"Tazuna-san?" she said, hoping to direct her friend's attention elsewhere.

The man clearly wasn't pleased at being addressed again. "What now?"

"Am I remembering correctly that you're from the Land of Waves?"

He didn't even pause, but he also didn't look at her. "What of it?"

"That Land of Waves is currently a shinobi-free country, yes?" she inquired.

The man actually paused and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "It is," he agreed gruffly. "Why?"

Sakura no longer needed to say a word. Operation: Divert Naruto's Attention was a success.

"What, seriously?" the star of the team asked, shocked. "There's not _any_ ninja there?"

"Not one," Kakashi agreed, only too enthusiastic to teach his students something worth his time. "Though as a general rule, even with all the differences that exist in local customs and cultures, most other lands have their own hidden villages. There's the five main countries, of course, but there are also many smaller ones—"

And thus ended Naruto's curiosity.

The jonin sighed, exasperated, to himself. Children were much harder to deal with than one would think. He _really_ wasn't getting paid enough for this. (…not that he actually got paid for being a sensei…)

"So, we can't even fight some enemy shinobi?"

"Afraid not," Sakura replied, though admittedly peeved herself that she wouldn't be able to test the limits of her abilities on someone she didn't have to hold back on for fear of killing them. That, of course, was supposing that she would even be _able_ to defeat said enemies; she was still rather unclear about her standing with shinobi of higher ranking due to her lack of sufficient interaction with Kakashi during the bell test.

Sasuke, however, was the only one that noticed, because he was the only one actually taking this mission seriously.

Tazuna appeared decidedly nervous.

And Sasuke wondered intently why that was so.

Sakura's pale green eyes cut sharply to the side when she observed a puddle on the road — and, had she been paying attention, Kakashi looked at it, as well. She frowned to herself in confusion. It hadn't rained in days, and she only knew so because she always made a point of sitting in the road when it did. She loved the feeling of rain on her face.

And, yet, there sat a lovely little puddle surrounded by a wide stretch of dirt pathway. A struggling survivor amongst the short drought. What, she mused, could that possibly mean?

And as they strolled by without a care in the world, two demon-like shinobi clad in dark cloaks with large, claw-ish hand guards sprung from the puddle.

And in an instant, they had torn Kakashi into bloody, unrecognizable pieces with long, jagged chains. The pair chuckled darkly.

"One little piggy."

* * *

_And as you fall upon the ground,_

_Spin about and spin around_

'_Til at last by you I may be found._


	6. Affrontation

I'm trying to update this more often, if you couldn't tell. ;)

So, yeah — here's the next chapter. Still in the Land of Waves Arc; I know you're all disappointed that Sasori has yet to return, but never fear! He will be back. Just remember — there's a _lot_ that happens during this arc and the Chunin Exams and such, and I want this to be as good as I can make it.

**WhatChuuKnowBoutMe** has expressed concern about this story's pairing. It IS SasoSaku; I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but just wait. Sakura only calls him "aniki" right now as a sort of sarcastic joke in her head.

The poem at the end is a continuation of the one from the last chapter.

Well, I hope you all like this.

Please read and review! :)

* * *

**Affrontation**

* * *

The chaos was instantaneous.

Kakashi was dead — just like that. Their big, strong, almighty sensei was gone in the blink of an eye.

Naruto was panicking.

In his hysteria, he immediately sensed when both of the demon shinobi appeared behind him. But he couldn't move. He was going to die.

"Two little piggies."

He grew dizzy; the world was coming to a slow. Even those wicked steel claws seemed to dawdle.

In a flash, both of his teammates were attacking.

They moved with perfect synchronization, as if knowing ahead of time that they each had mentally claimed one of the two enemies. Naruto barely managed to turn his head and watch them over his shoulder.

It was amazing.

Sasuke was on his guy like a bolt of lightning. With a click flick of shuriken, he trapped the shinobi's chain — the one he and his partner had killed Kakashi with — to a tree, then reinforced in with a kunai. The man growled, desperately attempting to tug it lose, only for Sasuke to nail him was an axe kick to the top of the head. He crashed to the ground, stunned, even as his clawed hand guard yanked free from the chain.

Sakura materialized before the other one as if she were a ghost, momentarily disappearing as he slashed out with curved talons. She wasn't fast enough to prevent her left sleeve from being torn, but it hardly mattered when, a heartbeat later, her heel slammed into his chin and sent him flying easily a dozen feet away.

Tazuna stared at the two in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing. These kids were — what? Eleven? Twelve? And here they were, easily taking down two grown men that looked as though they'd risen from the depths of Hell itself. Perhaps they _were_ more competent than he'd given them credit for — even though Naruto had yet to move. Not that he could really blame him.

Sasuke had just made to approach Tazuna, leaving Naruto in Sakura's hands, when the ninja he'd downed was suddenly on his feet again. And he was going for Naruto.

The blond was still frozen in place. Still not registering how to react. He didn't want to die; _Kami_, he didn't. But he didn't know what to do. Both his mind and body were screaming at him, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. It was all just a blur.

He_ did _feel, however, when those malicious, danger-like fingers dug into the back of his hand. The pain was blinding, burning — it boiled across his skin like acid. He'd never felt something so horrible in his life. Nausea twisted his stomach, and he gradually began to lose focus with the world. He watched, detached, as drops of enchanting red were soaked into the earth.

It was odd, he reflected, because his hand was no longer hurting. In fact, it was rather warm.

That was when he truly perceived what was happening.

Sakura was standing before him, guarding him, grasping his bleeding hand tightly as she aimed a glowing chop at the foe's throat. He ducked and inched backwards the slightest bit, having seen what she did to his partner. She'd forced a trickle of chakra into Naruto's hand to numb the pain, but she hadn't had time to heal it or even stop the blood flow; she had to keep pressure on it. Sasuke, she saw was about to join her before he spotted her previous opponent flying toward Tazuna. If this carried on for much longer, it wasn't going to turn out good.

"Now you're mine, bridge builder!" he hissed scathingly.

The other one dodged another of Sakura's attacks. She swore. She couldn't fight him and protect Naruto at the same time; continuing to do so was going to get her injured — if not killed — but she couldn't let him get her best friend. She _wouldn't_ let him.

But, a moment later, her resolve was proven unnecessary, for Kakashi appeared out of nowhere and hooked both of the enemy-nin on his arms without even a grunt of effort. Sasuke, irritated that he hadn't had the time to even touch the second guy, glared at him. He'd known — and Sakura had suspected — from the moment the man had "died" that he'd used a substitution jutsu. Naruto, having never seen it in action before, was understandably surprised until he saw the remains of a shattered log where he'd witnessed Kakashi being torn to shreds.

Tazuna sighed in relief, removing his glasses and wiping his forehead with the back of his wrist. _I'm not sure how they did it, but it seems I'm safe for now…_

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Kakashi said, somewhat smiling. "I should have moved to help you sooner, before you were injured. It never occurred to me that you would freeze up." He shot a brief smile at his other students. "Good job, Sasuke. You, too, Sakura."

Naruto stared sightlessly ahead, fingers shaking, before his gaze landed on the Uchiha prodigy. _I…I couldn't do a single thing…_ The trembling became more violent. _But Sasuke, who's never even been in a real battle, acted like it was no big deal — Sakura-chan, too! And they had to save _my_ stupid life!_

"You okay over there?" Sasuke asked him quietly — then smirked. "You big chicken."

In that moment, Naruto wanted to kill him. His rage was unimaginable. But he never got a chance to attack; Kakashi couldn't even tell him that they had no time for fighting.

Because before any of them could do anything, Sakura stalked right up to Sasuke and punched him in the face. The boy was knocked to the ground roughly and he sat there, staring up at her in shock. She glared down at him.

"Leave him alone," she spat. "You may think you're better than Naruto, but you're _not_. You're still a stuck-up brat, and you _really_ need to just _grow up_."

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away angrily to stand closer to Tazuna. Sasuke remained in the dirt for a long minute, speechless, and the other three males were hardly any better off. Kakashi recovered quickly, though, and knew that getting help for Naruto took precedence over scolding his unruly students.

"Naruto," he said, turning to the boy, both knocked-out men still in his grip. "Their claws are poisoned. We need to clean that wound as soon as possible." The blond, still slightly fazed, glowered down at his injury with gritted teeth. "If we cut it open more deeply—"

"No need," Sakura cut in sharply. Sasuke picked himself up.

Kakashi frowned. "Sakura, I'll admit that Naruto is tough, but he's been poisoned," he reprimanded. "We need to go back now to make certain he receives medical attention."

Sakura opened her mouth to argue, but all of a sudden, Naruto whipped out a kunai and stabbed the back of his hand fiercely. Each of them gaped at him, but he didn't seem to notice the pain, even as a frightening amount of blood streamed down his arm. Slowly, Sakura's expression relaxed into one of detached understanding. She knew why he'd done it; she'd have done it herself, had she been in his position.

Naruto was on the verge of tears, even as he glared and ground his teeth so forcefully it was surprising that his eyes and jaws didn't take damage. _Why am I always so different? !_ he wanted to scream. _I hate not fitting in! By now, I should be really strong! But I blew it… even though I've been doing tons of extra training every day on my own, trying to build my skills!_

He opened his eyes, and they were practically blazing. Kakashi had never seen such a look on the boy's face.

_I swear, no one's ever gonna have to save my life again. I'm not going to be the one who hangs back or freezes up, and I'm not gonna be outdone by Sasuke!_

His hand shook violently, the remaining scraps of Sakura's numbing chakra completely obliterated by the new impairment.

_I swear it…by the pain in my left hand…_

Sakura didn't smile. It wouldn't be right to congratulate him or anything of the sort in this moment. She simply watched him as he transformed before her eyes.

"With this kunai knife," Naruto mumbled, determined, "I promise you… I'll protect the old man." He grinned in a way that could have been a smirk. "Reporting, fit for duty!"

Kakashi beamed.

"Well, Naruto, that's all nice and dandy, but now you're going to bleed to death."

And just like that, the amazing painting was shattered.

Naruto all but pissed himself.

"WHAT? !" he shrieked, voice several pitches higher than usual as he flailed his arms about spastically. "ARE YOU FRICK'N SERIOUS? ! NO! NO WAY! I DON'T WANNA DIE LIKE THIS!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Idiot." Kakashi sighed in exasperation.

"Show me your hand—"

Sakura shoved past him, much to the man's surprise.

"Come here, Naruto," she said gently, quietly. "I'll fix it." She held up a single finger as she splayed Naruto's hand across her own, and right before his eyes, the finger began to glow. She drew it slowly along his injury, which hissed and steamed as it closed up.

Sure, the cut probably would have healed by itself due to the Kyubi's influence, but one could never be too careful. That had been a _lot_ of blood, after all.

As Naruto studied his still-bloody hand in awe, Sakura turned and showed off her glowing appendage to Kakashi pointedly. "This," she explained flatly, "is called medical chakra. It heals." And that was that.

.

"Tazuna, san," Kakashi began, looking back at the man as he stood before the two enemy shinobi — now awake and bound to a tree. "We need to talk." The addressed civilian was clearly uncomfortable. "Our attackers appear to be chunin from Kirigakure. They are shinobi renowned for their willingness to fight on until their goal is achieved, even at the cost of their lives."

"How did you know?" one of the pair demanded, glaring balefully at him.

"The sun is out, and it hasn't rained for several days," he replied simply, as if talking to a child. "There's no way a puddle could have been there."

The two appeared to be mentally kicking themselves.

Sakura felt remarkably like an idiot. She'd seen the puddle and thought nothing of it, even though she _knew_ it hadn't rained. Honestly. She was going to have to work on keeping her mind sharp and focused; she was becoming too easy to distract.

_And,_ she reflected, glancing down at her torn left sleeve, _I'll have to work on speed more._ She hadn't been fast enough to avoid her opponent's talons, but at least her skin hadn't been cut.

"If you knew all that, then why'd you let them attack you?" Tazuna objected incredulously.

"Because, Tazuna-san" — he glanced at him sharply — "I wanted to find out who their real target was."

The bridge builder nearly took a step back. "What do you mean by that?" Despite his sudden anxiety, he thankfully managed to keep his voice even.

Kakashi could see this, but he answered regardless. "Were they after one of us — intending to pick off defenseless, rookie ninja for their own devices?" Sasuke scowled at the jonin, and Sakura frowned blatantly; like _hell_ they were defenseless. "Or," he continued in a clipped tone, "were _you_ the one they were after?"

Tazuna flinched.

"The request relayed to Hokage-sama," Kakashi stated bluntly, "was to have you escorted back to the Land of Waves to protect you from bands of thieves and brigands. There was no mention of shinobi seeking to take your life." His lone visible eye narrowed. "In any case, this mission is at _least_ a B-rank, perhaps even higher."

"Well, so what?" Naruto objected, much to Tazuna's relief. Having Kakashi's complete attention like that had been frightening. "I mean, the old man needs protection, right?"

His expression didn't change. "To protect Tazuna-san from ordinary dangers until he completes the bridge he's building would be a simple thing." The next part was directed back at the older man once more. "But if you expected to be the target of a ninja assault, it's beyond question that this would have been classified — and priced — as a mission for elite shinobi." When Naruto started to protest again, he added disapprovingly, "You may have had your reasons, but it's never a good idea to conceal facts when you're asking for help." Tazuna was thoroughly embarrassed. "As it is, this task falls far beyond the boundaries of the job we were assigned."

"But does that really matter?" Sakura spoke up, looking for all the world to be bored out of her mind — but they all knew better. "Like you said, he probably had his reasons, — and he _does_ still need protection." Naruto was beaming at her as she arched an eyebrow. "What else can we do? Turn him away?" She grunted to herself distastefully. "I was under the impression that Konoha was better than that."

Kakashi grimaced, not appreciating that two of his students were so unsupportive of him.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Sasuke made his opinion known.

"We can handle it, Kakashi," he said gruffly. "We'll be able to take care of ourselves."

The silver-haired sensei was obviously conflicted. "This is a lot more complicated than you three taking down a couple of Mist shinobi."

Naruto grinned widely, showing off his newly-healed hand. "We got it, Kakashi-sensei!" He snickered to himself excitedly. "We'll get the old man home safe and sound — no matter what!"

.

.

.

Sakura pondered Naruto's words as she sat in the small motor boat at his side.

"_Hey…Sakura-chan?"_

"_What?"_

She recalled most clearly the somewhat uncomfortable yet solidly determined flash to his eyes.

"_Your chakra is still numbing this, right?"_

She glanced at his hand from the corner of her eye.

"_Yeah; why?"_

Her lips pressed in a hard line.

"_Can you get rid of it?"_

She had consented to his request, of course, after studying him for a minute, but she couldn't get it out of her head. And as she looked at him now, she couldn't sense anything different about him; he seemed like he always was — cheerful, impatient, overzealous.

"Wow — Sakura-chan, look at this fog! I can't see _anything_!"

He was right; you could practically slice through it with a kunai.

"We'll be able to see the bridge in a minute," the unnamed man steering their little boat assured him, face rather grim. "On the other side of it is Nami no Kuni — the Land of Waves."

All four shinobi scrutinized their surroundings, attempting to guess where the structure would appear. True to his word, it materialized from the mist like a looming giant.

"_Whoa_!" Naruto cried, standing up in the boat, voice nearly cracking. "It's HUGE!"

"Hey! Keep it down!" the boatman snapped. "The mist'll keep us hidden, but from this point on, we have to turn off our engines and row." Kakashi arched an eyebrow at him as he did so. Tazuna wouldn't look at any of them.

"Ah — sensei?" The bridge builder was uncertain what to call Kakashi. "There's…something you should know about the request for help I made to your village…" When no one spoke, he cleared his throat and continued. "As you guessed, this job is more dangerous than you and your students were led to believe. There's a man with a very long shadow who wants to see me dead."

"'A long shadow'?" Kakashi echoed. "Who is he?"

He grunted. "You've probably heard of him. He's a billionaire in the field of marine transportation." His eyes were hard. "Gatô."

_That_ certainly earned a reaction from the jonin.

"Gatô?" he choked out. "Of Gatô Shipping and Transport? They say he's the richest man in the world!"

"That's the one," Tazuna agreed darkly. "On the surface, he's a legitimate businessman. But in reality, he's a ruthless murdering criminal who employs gangs and teams of shinobi to traffic drugs and contraband. He starts out taking over companies…" His fist clenched. "And he ends up running entire countries. He lives by every low and vicious trade known to man."

The boatman had closed his eyes, oar grasped tightly in his hands. Naruto was uncharacteristically silent.

"It was about a year ago that Gatô set his sights on the Land of Waves. He came under the guise of a business venture. Then the violence began, and in no time at all, he'd taken over our entire marine transportation and shipping industry, and we were all under his thumb! He now has a stranglehold on all forms of transportation, the lifeblood of an island nation, and he controls the income."

"And the only thing he has to fear," Sasuke concluded flatly, "is the completion of your bridge."

"As the architect of the bridge," Sakura supplemented, "you are very much in his way."

"Then the ninja who attacked us belong to Gatô," came Sasuke's second input. He was surprisingly talkative.

Poor Naruto was struggling to keep up.

"I'm still not quite understanding, Tazuna-san," Kakashi said with the beginnings of a frown. "If you knew that someone like Gatô was after you, why didn't you tell us when you asked for our help?"

"Island countries like the Land of Waves aren't very prosperous," he explained with a bitter smile. "Even our local lords are poor. As it is, a C-Rank was all I could afford. If you turn away from me now…I'm as good as dead." Then, he laughed loudly in a manner that made them all stare at him strangely. "But don't you worry about that! You won't be there to see my daughter and ten-year-old grandson cry as if their hearts are breaking! Screaming, '_Grandpa! Grandpa!_' And you won't mind when my daughter vows eternal hatred on all of the ninja of your village as she lives her life alone and miserable!" His chortle was booming. "None of your concern! Not at all!"

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other witheringly.

_This guy…_ The blond's eye twitched.

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped," Kakashi chuckled uncomfortably, rubbing at the back of his head. "We'll just have to continue protecting you, huh?"

The man's face was absolutely blank as he inwardly smirked. _Hook, line, and sinker._

"Tazuna…" When he turned to the boatman, he found a serious gaze awaiting him. "So far, we've been lucky," he murmured. "But just to be on the safe side, we'll take an inland waterway through town to a point where we can make landfall under the cover of mangroves." Tazuna thanked him.

Quiet settled over the group as the unknown rower steered their boat into a small tunnel. The stones set all around them were smooth and cleanly lined, telling of the experts who'd laid them. It was amazing, really, the way they formed an arch overhead even though each of them were perfectly straight.

Naruto, however, cared nothing for the simple beauty of carved rocks. He quivered in place impatiently as they approached the end of the tunnel at an agonizingly slow pace. It was as if the boatman was intentionally taking as much time as possible just to annoy him.

Then, finally, they emerged from the tunnel into a bright assault of sunlight. Naruto's eyes widened, and a grin stretched across his face.

"WOW!"

Now, _this_ he could appreciate.

Water was everywhere. Funny-looking trees with large, visible roots sprang high into the air from the water, bordering pathways of wooden ramps leading to docks. One — perhaps two — clouds drifted lazily through that blue, blue sky. After spending the past hour without sunlight, Naruto was certain he'd never take it for granted again.

He was smiling grandly to himself when they pulled up to one of the docks and climbed out. Arms spread-eagle, he spun around and admired the little town.

"This is as far as I go," the boatman spoke up, reaching for the engine. "Take care of yourself."

Tazuna would be forever grateful. "Thank you for taking such a risk," he mumbled, eyes crinkling. "I really shouldn't have asked."

The other man spared him a tiny grin before starting the engine and speeding off.

"Okay!" Tazuna clapped, beaming. "Now, if I can just get home in one piece—!"

"Yes, yes…" Kakashi sighed. _There's bound to be another attack — and this time, they won't send chunin. It'll probably be a jonin._ He appeared to be contemplating death. _Could this get any worse?_

As they say, no rest for the weary.

The difference in the sound of their footsteps when the ground changed from wooden boards to dirt was distinct. Trees — _normal_ trees, thank Kami — stood over them all on sides as they entered a forest. It wasn't nearly as thick as those surrounding Konoha, but it was still a forest. They were finally back on somewhat familiar ground.

_Alright!_ Naruto told himself, scowling at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. _This is it! I'm not gonna let him show me up again!_ His attention floated toward his other teammate. _And Sakura-chan…_ He shook his head vigorously, to which most of them raised an eyebrow. _I can't let myself freeze up again! I'll show them what I can do! Dattebayo!_

He rushed forward in a swarm of impetuosity, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes (from _what_?) as he looked about wildly. Then, whipping out a shuriken, he flung it in a random direction. "Over there!"

They all but had a heart attack. It was incredibly silent for a moment.

"Heh… just a mouse," the blond remarked, smirking to himself, playing it off coolly.

Sasuke scowled at him, eye ticking. Kakashi was clearly imagining beating his head against a tree as he raised his hands imploringly to his shortest student.

"Please…don't play with those…they're seriously dangerous…"

Tazuna blew his top. "Don't go scaring us, you scrawny little dwarf!"

Sakura smacked her forehead, groaning under her breath. _Kami, Naruto…what the hell were you thinking?_

In the background, Naruto was turning this way and that, muttering to himself, "I think I might've seen someone!"

Then, simultaneously, all three of his shinobi companions jerked their heads in one direction. Almost instantly, he launched another shuriken at the slight disturbance.

"Over _there_!"

Tazuna resumed screaming at the boy until he noticed that none of the other shared his convictions. Snickering to himself, Naruto scrambled after the second weapon he'd thrown to find what he'd hit. He about died when he came across his victim.

"Just a rabbit? !" he shrieked, grabbing the lifeless animal and hugging it viciously. "It was an accident, Bunny-san! Snap out of it — please!"

The bridge builder fumed in place, fingers curling as though he was mentally strangling the blond. Sasuke snorted, rolling his eyes. Kakashi was rather quiet as he thought to himself grimly, and Sakura's eyebrows drew down suspiciously as she studied the rabbit in her companion's arms.

"Sensei," she murmured, glancing back at him sharply. "I thought they only had white fur during the winter."

Kakashi said nothing for a very long moment. "They do."

Sasuke stiffened, but Naruto hadn't heard; he was still crying over the dead animal.

_This is a rabbit that's been kept in a cage for the purpose of body switching,_ Kakashi observed morbidly. _So they're already here…_

He spared a glance at his brightest student, noting that she was frowning to herself. So she hadn't figured it out, yet…

His head snapped up.

"Everyone, _down_!"

Immediately, they all hit the dirt — Sasuke yanking Tazuna down when he didn't move fast enough. Barely a heartbeat later, a large cleaver sword spiraled overhead wickedly, its blade slamming into a tree so powerfully that it buried itself halfway into the trunk. Before any of them could react, a frighteningly tall man appeared on the sword's hilt, his back turned toward them.

He wore no shirt, but long pants coupled with arm and legwarmers stood out against his skin. A mask of bandages covered his face from the nose down, and a Kirigakure hitai-ate sat crooked amongst his unruly dark hair.

As Sakura gazed up at him, she realized with something akin to excitement that she recognized this person. She'd read all about him and many other top-notch S-Class criminals in the Konoha library; she'd even managed to get a copy of a three-year-old bingo book — complete with this man's entry.

He was Momochi Zabuza, the demon of the Hidden Mist.

And as her two teammates stared up at him in shock, Sakura began to grin to herself.

Finally.

Someone worth a fight.

* * *

_Your path, although, has just begun,_

_So let us enjoy the exquisite fun_

_Before, my marionette, your time has come._


	7. Adventurism

Holy crap, guys. It's been WAY too long since I updated this.

I can't even BEGIN to describe how busy I've been lately. I graduate high school on May 18th and I start college in the fall — I _still_ haven't found the time to learn how to drive and my sleep schedule has been seriously suffering.

The day before yesterday, I actually _FELL ASLEEP DURING AN AP CHEMISTRY EXAM._

I almost cried right there in class when I discovered I only had ten minutes to complete twenty-six questions.

Thankfully, my teacher knows that I'm not the type to bomb tests, so she's letting me make it up.

I'm really sorry that this chapter took so long. I haven't been avoiding ; I simply haven't had the time to get on. I'm writing these things as quickly as I can, so please be patient with me. Many stories on my Favorite's List haven't been updated since 2007. It may take me anywhere from a day to five months to get the newest chapters out, but I will NEVER let it get that far out of hand.

Once again:

THIS STORY WILL **NEVER** BE DISCONTINUED. IT WILL BE FINISHED.

**EDIT: I'm currently having a bit of trouble with a person named** xBrokenRecordsx **who has ripped off my **_100 Ways to Get killed By The Akatsuki_ **story with his/her story**_ the bliss of_ insanity**. I fucking hate theives, and this utterly pisses me off.**

So, please read and review! :)

* * *

**Adventurism**

* * *

Naruto grinned as he glanced back at his eternal rival. _This is my chance! I won't lose to Sasuke!_ He looked to Sakura, lips curling up even higher when he found her just as pumped as he was. _And I won't lose to Sakura-chan, either!_

"Well, well," Kakashi mocked, voice raising in volume. "If it isn't Momochi Zabuza, Kirigakure's infamous nuke-nin."

Naruto's fist clenched as he lowed unconsciously into the slightest of crouches. _Ready…_ He sprang forward. _Go!_ Before he could even advance a foot, however, Kakashi blocked his path with one arm. He staggered to a halt, attempting not to fall.

"Everyone, get back," their sensei ordered firmly, never taking his eye off Zabuza. "This guy is on a whole other level."

The missing-nin said nothing as he watched them over his shoulder, completely relaxed. Then, bringing a sly smile to his bandage-covered face, Kakashi reached for his hitai-ate.

_Against him…_ He grabbed the headband. _I might have a little trouble without this._

"Ah," Zabuza murmured, wickedly amused. "Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan eye." Sasuke froze. "Sorry, but…the old man, there, is mine."

Sakura frowned to herself, gazing at her teacher sharply. _There's that weird word again…_

When she'd first gone to the library to read up on him, she'd seen that word in a vague description of his abilities. "Hatake Kakashi, master of the Sharingan…" It had gone on to say something about his taijutsu skills, but she had focused in on that word alone. Somehow, it'd seemed important. A thorough investigation resulted in absolutely nothing; not a single book or scroll in the Konoha library — including the restricted section for jonin and higher, which she (ahem) did _not_ learn how to break into from "aniki" — contained information about it.

And just now, Zabuza had called it his Sharingan _eye_.

"Protect the bridge builder," he told them, tone leaving no room for argument. He had yet to move his left hand; his eye remained hidden. "Do not enter this fight; stick together. Teamwork." Then, he was addressing the enemy. "Now, Zabuza…" Naruto exclaimed a noise of surprise as Kakashi lifted his headband. "…shall we?"

Sakura, unfortunately, couldn't see his eye from her position. She stood a yard or two back with Sasuke and Tazuna. Naruto, though, didn't even try to control his blatant shock as he stared at the man's face.

"To face the legendary Mirror-Wheel Eye so early in our acquaintance…" Zabuza chuckled, finally turning to face them all. "I'm honored."

Frustrated, Naruto burst out with an impatient, "Sharingan! Sharingan! What the heck's so special about some stupid eye? !"

"Shinobi who have the Sharingan eye," Sasuke spoke up grimly, "have mastered a form of ocular ninjutsu. It allows them to penetrate and see the reality behind any illusion and to reflect the power of the genjutsu back on those who cast them." Sakura filed the information away for later use, nodding more to herself as she gazed intently at her teammate. "It's one of many doujutsu — but its power goes much further than all this."

"Heh heh…" The three genin nearly jumped at Zabuza's morbid laughter. "How right you are. But you've just scratched the surface." He was most definitely smirking. "Most formidable of all is the acuity with which it can discern and duplicate the opponent's jutsu." Kakashi remained perfectly stoic as he sneered down at him. "When I was an assassin for Kirigakure, I possessed the usual bingo book — and it had quite the write-up on you, including a mention of your impressive record: the man who copied over a thousand jutsu, Hatake Kakashi the Copy Ninja."

Naruto, by this point, appeared to be mentally comparing his sensei to a god. Sasuke, on the other hand, was watching the man like a hawk. He knew exactly which clan the Sharingan manifested in — how could he _not_? — and he couldn't help but wonder if Kakashi was a distant relative of his. But that still didn't explain why he only possessed it in _one_ eye, and then there was that scar…

Sakura was confused. Kakashi was strong, certainly… But he was _that_ strong? His eye alone allowed him to copy one thousand techniques? The Konoha library hadn't said a thing about any of that.

It suddenly occurred to her that she really didn't know her sensei at all.

"As pleasant as this conversation has been," Zabuza chuckled lowly, "the time for chatter is over. I'm on a very tight schedule to polish off the old man." Without a word from Kakashi, all three genin sprung into defensive positions around Tazuna, kunai gripped in their hands. Kakashi, secretly, was proud of their bravery. "But, Kakashi…" Zabuza's palm curled naturally around the hilt of the sword as he crouched, smirk stretching the bandages concealing his mouth. "It looks as though I'll have to kill you first."

Naruto nearly flinched when the nuke-nin suddenly kicked off of the tree with speed that should have been almost impossible at his size. When he landed on the water of the large lake before them in barely a split-second, he'd already somehow strapped the cleaver sword to his back, one arm raised and one pulled to his chest — both in the tiger seal. Kakashi immediately knew what he was going to do.

_Che. Clever Bastard._ His muscles tensed in anticipation. _That's a pretty fair concentration of chakra._ Enough, in fact, to thwart all plans of locating him by searching for his chakra signature.

"The finest of all jutsu," Zabuza sneered as piercing white mist crept up about him, swiftly erasing all traces of his physical presence. "Meet Kirigakure — my Hidden Mist Jutsu." The last of him, one of his eyes, disappeared with the end of his cryptic declaration.

"He's _gone_!" Tazuna sputtered, staggering back. The genin unconsciously shifted to stay close to him.

"Listen up, you three," Kakashi said sharply, eyes narrowing. "He'll come after me first. He's a master of the Silent Killing Art — let your guard down for an instant, and you won't live to see tomorrow. Stay on your toes and protect the bridge builder." _And by God, work together!_

They each gave short nods, taking comfort in the sense of having allies on all sides. Naruto grit his teeth as the mist engulfed them completely.

"_There are eight targets."_

Sakura's head jerked to the side. Even though she couldn't see a thing for the fog, she just _knew_ Zabuza had been inches away when he'd spoken. She could feel it. Naruto and Sasuke stiffened, and she snuck a hand into her pouch for a second kunai. She'd have to rethink her plans if she wanted to beat this guy.

"_Throat."_

Her eyes darted to the far left. She couldn't trust the sound of his voice; the mist was creating an echo.

"_Spinal column."_

Kakashi's feet scraped the ground as he slid into a wider stance.

"_Lungs. Liver."_

Sasuke's head was spinning. The mist was too thick; he could see the light of frustration in Sakura and Naruto's expressions.

"_Jugular vein. The Subclavian Artery."_

He seemed to like that last one, if the slightest raise in pitch was any indication.

"_Kidney. __**Heart.**__"_

Naruto's very bones hurt due to the tautness of his body.

"_All so vulnerable…I wonder which one I should choose?"_

The blond flinched at his dark chortle. There was a terrible silence in which no one moved an inch. The mist itself almost felt like blood sticking to their skin.

And then, Kakashi formed a seal to ready his chakra. Even Tazuna could feel the sudden wave of bloodlust and malice rolling through the mist — and the worst part was that they couldn't tell if it belonged to Zabuza or Kakashi. It occurred to the bridge builder, then, that he actually feared the Konoha jonin _more_ than the one trying to kill him.

Sakura nearly jumped when she felt Sasuke shaking beside her, and she could only watch as he slowly succumbed to the chakra pressure in the air. He was losing it. For one horrible minute, she thought he was going to turn his kunai on himself.

"Sasuke."

His head shot up.

"Calm down," Kakashi instructed coolly. "Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you." He smiled over his shoulder so kindly, so reassuringly, that each of them couldn't help but admire him a bit more. "I will never allow my comrades to die."

Sakura's lips curled up in one corner. That was what separated her from Kakashi: she didn't know how to give words of encouragement. He was like "aniki" in that way, even though their methods were completely different — he could offer someone a hand and pull them out of the darkness with just a few words.

"_I wouldn't bet on that."_

The mist was gone. They all tensed — and then Zabuza was right behind them, practically touching them — between them and Tazuna.

"_Game over."_

Sakura jerked around to slash at him with her kunai, but Kakashi was already there, pushing them all away.

Shoving a kunai of his own into Zabuza's abdomen.

Sakura could scarcely believe what she was seeing. How in God's name had he moved so fast — _both_ of them? It should have been impossible for the "Kirigakure no Kijin" to break through their Manji Battle Formation, but he'd done so in an instant.

But he turned to water around Kakashi's weapon and another one appeared behind the man. As Naruto screamed for him to look out, he was sliced in half.

Only for him to turn to water, as well.

Zabuza stumbled forward slightly in shock, eyes widening. _A water clone? He was able to copy me in this mist? !_

"Don't move."

He froze. Cold metal pressed against his throat from behind.

"Game over," Kakashi mocked.

Sakura could barely blink as she stared at the two, astonished. She'd already known that she probably wouldn't be able to recognize clones made by experienced shinobi, but the sheer _realness_ of their copies was nothing short of astounding. She wondered briefly if she would ever be able to do that — or even _anything_ — so flawlessly.

Then, the chuckling started.

She could hear the breath catching in Naruto's throat as they all fixated on Zabuza. Something clearly wasn't right if he was _laughing_ about having a knife at his neck.

"Heh… You think it's over?" Kakashi's eyebrows narrowed suspiciously. "You just don't get it… It'll take more to defeat me than mimicking me like an ape…" He smirked. (Not that any of them could really tell, what with those bandages.) "A lot more." His snicker was chilling. "But, I'll admit, you're good, Kakashi." Completely disregarding the blade against his skin, he glanced at his opponent over his shoulder. "In such a short time, you were able to duplicate my Mizu Bunshin. And by making your clone say something you'd have said yourself, you ensured all my attention would be focused on it while you yourself hid in my mist, watching my every move. Too bad for you…"

Sakura never even saw him appear. He was just suddenly _there_.

Another Zabuza was behind Kakashi, who immediately stiffened. "I'm not that easy to fool."

Kakashi dropped as Zabuza swung his executioner blade, the ends of his wild silver hair sliced off. When he ducked, Zabuza saw his opportunity; he slammed the end of his sword into the ground for leverage and lashed out with his foot, a heavy kick connecting solidly with Kakashi's chest. He was sent flying, fall broken by the lake as he crashed through the surface. Tazuna and the three genin were admittedly impressed by his physical strength. The ex-Kiri-nin leapt after him, clicking his tongue at the makibishi scattered about the ground before him, and materialized behind Kakashi as the latter rose from the water.

_This water…why is it so heavy?_

"Fool," he jeered, and panic flashed across the other man's face. "Water Prison Jutsu!"

An orb of water sprang from the lake, quickly encasing Kakashi and trapping him in place; he could barely move. _Damn!_ he swore.

Zabuza laughed, one hand stuck in the sphere to keep it together. "All of your running around was getting tedious; it's _much_ easier to do my job without your interference." He brought his free hand up in the tiger seal. "I'll finish you off after I've taken care of your precious little team and the old man."

Water rose as though it were coming to life and formed yet another clone. It occurred to Sakura in that moment how wrong — how utterly, completely wrong — she had been to think she could take on this man. He was like nothing she'd ever seen. She had no doubt that her "aniki" could defeat him — but not her. Not even close.

"No—!" Kakashi choked out.

The clone picked up where the real Zabuza seemed to have left off as he calmly walked back to land. "Little ninja wannabes," he sneered. "Wanting so badly to fit in — you even wear hitai-ate." He spat that last bit out like it disgusted him. "A _true_ ninja has crossed and re-crossed the border between the lands of the living and dead. Clothes don't make you a shinobi; you need skills good enough to rate a listing in my bingo book to earn the title of 'ninja'. We don't call your kind 'ninja'. We call them—"

He disappeared. Sakura saw what he was going to do — only because he didn't even attempt to conceal his intentions — and jumped forward to grab the back of Naruto's obnoxious jumpsuit and drag him to safety.

"—brats," the real Zabuza finished.

Except, it didn't turn out so smoothly. Zabuza was far too fast, and he knew the instant she moved was she intended. He let her get right beside the blond before he struck, slamming the flat end of his sword into their stomachs. Their mouths gaped for air as all available sourced were knocked from their lungs; they were sent flying much like Kakashi had, and the ground split into tiny cracks where they landed none-too-gently. Tazuna's eyes were wide and fearful, and even Sasuke didn't know what to do.

"Take Tazuna and go!" their sensei yelled at them, voice somewhat distorted by the layers of churning water. "This is a fight you can't win! If he wants to hold me in this water prison, he can't leave this place — get far enough away, and his clone can't follow!"

Sakura pushed herself up, dutifully ignoring the pain in her abdomen, and opened her mouth to tell Kakashi that they couldn't just leave him behind — but found herself unable to speak when she felt Naruto trembling beside her. His blue gaze was stretched to its limit with undeniable terror, and the sight of the loudest boy she knew rendered speechless with panic sent a bolt of pure dread straight down her spine. She couldn't win this fight. She wasn't nearly strong enough.

And when Naruto jerked around to scramble to his feet and undoubtedly flee from his impending death, he planted his hand on the ground and flinched sharply. When he looked at his hand, there was nothing there — not a bandage, nor a scar.

But he knew what _had_ been there. The knife wound he'd made, upon which he'd promised to never run away or chicken out again. He'd sworn to never let his fear control him for the rest of his life — and even though Sakura had healed it, he'd asked her to let him keep the pain so that it would remind him in his weakest moment what he was fighting for.

And it had worked.

There was no way he could back out now. Not after that.

And especially not now that that bastard was stepping on his hitai-ate.

He got up. Sakura stared at his face intently, trying to read his thoughts; as he lifted his head and glared at the strip of cloth and metal below Zabuza's oversized foot, she figured it out. When he was like this, dragging himself out of the shadows and struggling toward the light, he was easy to predict.

He just couldn't possibly exist as anything but the determined little fool who kept fighting even when he knew it was hopeless. Sakura didn't even realize she was smiling until she flung a handful of shuriken at Zabuza in the hopes of distracting him as the kid-with-the-thousand-watt-smile surged forward for his headband.

He managed to deflect them easily with his sword, however, _and_ hit Naruto again, but at least said blond snagged his hitai-ate in the process. Sakura helped him back up when he skidded past her, smiling in relief.

"Hey, you," he murmured, blood dripping down his chin. "The freak with no eyebrows."

Zabuza twitched at the insult.

"I got a new listing for your bingo book right here! A guy who's gonna be the next Hokage!"

He tugged on his forehead protector, grinning triumphantly. "Uzumaki Naruto, Leaf shinobi!"

Kakashi's eyes shot wide in shock as he stared at the stupid kid who'd always pulled pranks and gotten himself into trouble. When had he grown up so much?

Tazuna held a look of wonder. Perhaps this brat wasn't as light as he'd written him off to be upon their first meeting.

Sakura grinned alongside him. _This_ was the Naruto she knew.

But then, her image was shattered when he said just eight little words.

"Sasuke, listen up: I've got a plan."

The other boy's reply was so immediate and so natural, Sakura automatically knew.

She wasn't the closest person to Naruto anymore. He'd found a brother-like figure in Sasuke and forged a bond much deeper than the one he held with her. It was so clear now that she saw it — the perfection with which they copied one another and bantered back and forth.

She realized that she hadn't been the closest one to him for a long time.

And, she thought, that was exactly how it should be.

Because no matter how much she loved him as the sibling she'd never have, "aniki" would always come first.

"What's the matter with you? !" Kakashi demanded angrily, wanting so badly to go over there and smack all three of his students across the head. "I told you to run! It's over — it was over when he caught me!" He couldn't _believe_ how _stupid_ they were being. "You have a job to do, you idiots! You're here to protect Tazuna!"

Naruto faltered a bit and glanced back at the older man. "Jii-san…?"

"…Let's face the facts," Tazuna finally said after a long pause. "I got us into this mess by lying to you all. I've have a real long life, and it'd be wrong to let you kids get yourselves killed trying to protect me." He smiled, not an ounce of fear on his face. "So, go on — give it your all and save your sensei."

Sasuke smirked. "Hn."

Naruto's trademark grin was back. "You ready for this?"

But, as seemed to be the pattern, Zabuza began laughing again. This time, Naruto wasn't scared; in fact, it appeared he wanted to punch the man for continuously interrupting them with his creepy act. "Playing at being ninja like it's a child's game," he sneered, shaking his head slowly. "_I_, however…" His eyes were crazed. "By the time I was your age, my hands were already soaked with blood."

Naruto grimaced, but Sakura was not deterred; she'd already read all about his background in her three-year-old bingo book.

"Kirigakure no Kijin," Kakashi spat, glaring at him from the corner of his eye.

The bandages stretched around his mouth. "It seems my reputation precedes me."

"Long ago," Kakashi began stonily, hoping his little tale would convince his students to _get their brainless butts away_, "in Kirigakure, known then as the Blood Mist Village, the final step to becoming a full-fledged shinobi was the most inhuman test thinkable."

"So you've heard about our little graduation exercise." Zabuza almost seemed happy.

When it became apparent that the freak was too busy chuckling to himself dementedly to explain, Naruto demanded, "_What_ 'graduation exercise'?"

Zabuza's expression didn't change. "A killing spree amongst the classmates."

Naruto looked as though he'd been smacked in the face with a brick. Or a cinder block. "S-say what…?"

"Students who'd been friends, eaten together, were divided into pairs…and forced to fight to the death." Kakashi, himself, seemed a bit uncomfortable recounting the story. "Ten years ago, the elders of the village were forced to enact a sweeping reform of their barbaric graduation exam because of the appearance during the previous year of a monster who made the reform essential." None of them spoke. "Without a moment's hesitation…a young boy who hadn't even qualified to take the exam butchered over a hundred members of that year's graduating class."

Zabuza's grin was positively terrifying. "Ah…how much _fun_ that was!"

Naruto and Sasuke's nerves were abruptly lost in their shock. Without even a hint as to his next move, the clone appeared before Sasuke and sent him toppling through the air nearly fifteen feet by merely ramming his elbow into the boy's stomach.

Sakura knew she had to act fast. She hated using the attack on Sasuke to her advantage, but it was the only chance she'd get. Naruto needed him for his plan; she couldn't afford to let Zabuza cut him down.

Taking the sudden opening he presented, she flooded chakra to her feet and flew forward faster than she could ever remember running before. The real Zabuza instantly noticed her movement, leading his clone to cease his assault on Sasuke and whip around just as she landed on top of the water. She thanked any deity that chose to listen that "aniki" had taught her how to do so before he left. Clone Zabuza flashed after her as she feigned going after the real one, earning a bitter smile from his prey.

Good. He'd abandoned Sasuke and chased her instead.

Turning on her heel, she stopped to face him, stance offensive. As the Bunshin studied her with slight interest, she caught Naruto's eye. He understood without words what she was doing: distracting the clone so he could piece together his plan with Sasuke. He never doubted her for a moment; he just grinned.

"What do you think you're doing? !" Kakashi yelled, horror creeping into his tone. "Get out of here!"

Sakura's gaze didn't waver from her enemy; her back remained toward the silver-haired man. "Ne, sensei, what kind of shinobi would we be if we abandoned our teammates?"

The words stuck in his throat. He couldn't reply to that. Despite the fury and fear he felt at her incredibly dumb move, his heart lightened. His students loved him too much to let him die.

_On the bright side,_ she thought sardonically as she watched Clone Zabuza like a hawk, _the real one won't attack be while my back is turned; he has to stay over there with Kakashi-sensei, and he probably thinks his clone will be more than enough to handle me._

Which was true, she snorted. She didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell against this guy — but she didn't have to beat him; she just had to buy time.

And _that_ she could do.

She mentally wished Naruto and Sasuke good luck as the man's clone attacked. He swung out with his ridiculous-large sword and she dodged so easily that she just _knew_ he hadn't actually tried. Indignant, she whipped out a kunai and chucked it at his face, which he blocked.

"Che."

Glaring, she darted forward with chakra-enhanced speed and formed a right hook — but suddenly dropped and threw out her leg in a powerful sweep. He leapt cleanly over it and brought his blade down with the intent to split open her skull. Avoiding this one was much harder than the last as she dove right, knowing that a single direct hit would finish her. Her left sleeve was sliced open, and she felt the cut searing down her arm; she hadn't moved quickly enough, but at least the injury wouldn't kill her. Swearing, she leapt back and brought a glowing hand to the slash — only for a large foot to seemingly appear out of thin air and smash into her stomach.

Why the hell was this guy so fond of kicks, she wondered offhandedly as the blow launched her at least thirty feet across the water like a skipping stone. The second she regained control and tried to roll into a crouch on top of the shallow waves, he materialized above her. Her eyes snapped up to his looming figure, but there was no time to move; she had bought Naruto and Sasuke as much time as she could.

The axe kick he delivered to the top of her head made her vision go temporarily white as she was knocked nearly three yards underwater. Blood clouded around her from the cut on her arm and the new stream billowing from her mouth. For a long moment, she couldn't see. Finally, brain rattled and a migraine raging, she began her struggle to resurface — but Zabuza's hand burst throw the water and grabbed her by the temple, keeping her face away from the air she desperately needed.

Sakura thrashed about, gritting her teeth stubbornly, and snatched his wrist in both hands. The resulting _snap_ of the bone as she twisted harshly satisfied her, but to her disbelief, his grip never lessened. She could hear his surprised pause, and then his loud laughter.

"Not bad, kid," he congratulated, somewhat impressed by her show of strength. His voice sounded distorted through the water. "If this was my real body, that shattered wrist would really hurt." He smirked down at her, flexing his fingers on her sore skull, earning a jerky wince. "Try again."

That was when Sakura realizes that this was no longer her distracting Zabuza. This was her being killed by Zabuza.

The panic was instantaneous. Her limbs flailed wildly and water splashed in every direction. The clone just laughed at her pathetic display. She arched her back into a position that was actually kind of painful if she thought about it — but she didn't think about it. There was no more thinking on her part; there was only the raw animal instinct to claw her way to survival. Grabbing roughly at the elbow of the arm that held her under, she broke the joint and clung to it, using it as leverage to pull her legs above the surface. Chakra swirled around her feet with almost no control as she kicked violently at anything she could reach; she broke one of his knees and bruised a leg.

But it still wasn't enough. This was a clone; if Zabuza hadn't created it with nerves, it wouldn't feel the pain.

His leg nearly buckled over the destroyed knee, but he kept himself standing by shifting his weight to his other foot.

Black blurred her sight on all sides. Her lungs screamed for air, straining to rip straight through her chest. And with this came a sense of numbness. She couldn't feel her limbs anymore; she didn't even know if she was still struggling. She doubted it.

She was dying.

And then, the clone disappeared.

Distantly, in the back of her mind, she realized that Naruto and Sasuke's plan must have succeeded. She managed a weak smile as she drifted off — but then, not even a heartbeat later, she felt like crying.

She would never see _him_ again because she was dying here.

She'd failed him.

Tears mixed with the icy tomb she'd unwittingly doomed herself to, and she caught an incredibly blurry glance of Naruto's face before everything ebbed away.

* * *

_Go on, my marionette, and reveal your song_

_So that you may see what you've denied for so long_

_And finally obtain your wish to be strong._


	8. Neglection

Here's the next chapter.

I recently received a review saying that I "really should pay more attention to all my readers and fans by updating more often."

Oh, _I'm_ sorry. Here - let me just drop everything to get on this site every night.

Excuse you, but what the hell?

Have you any freaking idea what I have to do every day? I _know_ for a fact that I've already made one list on here of how busy I am, but perhaps I need to reiterate since I'm now in the second semester.

**1. **I'm taking two AP classes right now - which, in case you weren't aware, are COLLEGE CLASSES TAKEN IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR, EACH ENDING WITH A NATIONAL $76 EXAM THAT DETERMINES WHETHER OR NOT I HAVE TO REPEAT SAID CLASSES.

**2.** These classes give a SHIT load of homework. We're reading _Crime and Punishment_ in AP English. Have you ever seen those cartoons where a character pulls out a thousand-page novel and declares it to be light reading? Ever notice how the cover of said ginormous novels always says _Crime and Punishment_? THERE'S A REASON.

**3.** Daily literary analysis papers, poetry responses, and timed in-class essays in AP English. AND an outside reading novel due on the same day as _Crime and Punishment_, complete with a 10-page paper over it.

**4. **AP Chemistry is, in fact, a fucking difficult class. Don't believe me? Look up Equilibrium, Thermochem, Electrochem, Nuclear chem, Gas Laws, Equation Writing, Oxidation-Reduction Reactions, Stoichiometry, and any other form of chemistry you can for AP Chemistry Free Response Exam Questions. We do these daily, and we will have to do about eight of these on the actual AP Exam.

**5.** We had an exam in AP Chemistry over chapters one through five at the end of the first week of school. I have an entire two-inch binder full of strictly AP Chem notes.

**6.** For my Final in AP Chemistry, I have to do eight demonstrations for THIRD GRADERS and MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND what is happening in said demonstrations. It is a pass-or-fail grade.

**7.** Honors Economics and Government. Cover 18 chapters every nine weeks.

**8.** Advanced Art 4. Five bigs projects due, three-page essays due with said projects, daily art critiques over famous pieces and some of our own, homework drawings due every couple of weeks for which we are not allowed to use any of the supplies in the art room.

**9.** I start COLLEGE in just a few months. I have to meet with an advisor - twice, apply for scholarships, tour the campus, pick my classes and fight with a billion other students for them, take an exam to see if I can skip my computer courses, and do my damndest to score high enough on the earlier-mentioned AP exams to skip English 1, English 2, Science 1, and Science 2.

**10.** I have to learn how to DRIVE behind the wheel of a 2011 Dodge Charger RT. At the slightest freaking touch, it rockets to 60 miles per hour. My other choice is the learn how to drive in an eleven-year-old mini van that has difficulty starting and is the size of a tank. I have yet to take even the written exam because I don't have time for THAT, and I'll be eighteen in July.

I have a LOT of shit to do and NO time to do it.

NOT to mention that my dad is a complete control-freak that grounds me if I get a B or say something that sounds like I disagree with him over something.

**ON ANOTHER NOTE.**

I do not mind people saying "Update soon" or "I can't wait for the next chapter" or anything like that. In fact, I welcome it because it means that you enjoy my story.

But do NOT assume for even a minute that I intentionally neglect these stories. My sleep suffers when I get on this site because when I supposed to be sleeping is the only time I can find to get on. I already have to get up at 5:30 every morning - I do everything I can to update these and get them out to you. Do not accuse me of the opposite.

I love FanFiction. I love getting on this site and writting these stories and hearing your feedback. I love it more than nearly anything. Never think otherwise. I will do my best to update regularly, but don't send me angry messages if it doesn't always happen. I can't control it.

**ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT NOTE THAT NOW PERTAINS TO THIS STORY.**

People have expressed concern over Sakura's chakra nature. Do not tell me that it is Earth - because it ISN'T. At this point, her chakra nature has not been revealed because she does not use elemental ninjutsu. Check Narutopedia if you don't believe me. I have Naruto Trading Cards, and they say "WIND" on every card I have of Sakura, so I have labeled her Wind-Style in this story.

**THE POEMS AT THE END OF EACH CHAPTER - **Yes, I write them. They are mine. Do not copy them, please. Please note - the italics indicates that the "master" is speaking to the "marionette." Later, you will find it in bold; this indicates that the "marionette" is speaking to the "master."

This is the turning point; Sakura is going to become a very strong, determined woman later in the story because of what happens here. I could not have her completely kick-ass at the beginning because where the hell would it go from there? There has to be build-up.

So now - I hope you all like this! (And don't be afraid to review about eagerly expecting updates!) I won't update 'til I hit at least 300 reviews! ;)

Please read and review!

* * *

**Neglection**

* * *

The first thing she saw was "aniki" crouched by her side, looking down at her with familiar, sepia-toned eyes. Bloodred hair curled around his pale face. Her heart leapt into her throat as she gazed up at him, a shocked breath escaping her.

"You…," she whispered, vision almost blurring due to how widely her eyes were stretched. "You came back…"

She didn't spend a single second wondering where her teammates were. He was _back_ — and in the face of him, they didn't matter at all.

He would always come first.

"Sakura," he said evenly, and warmth exploded in her chest at the sound of her name. God, it'd been so long since he'd just called her by her name. She couldn't remember ever being so happy.

"I'm sorry," she burst, trying to sit up, but he placed a firm hand on her shoulder and held her down. "I couldn't beat him — I couldn't fight off Zabuza at all—"

"Sakura."

She fell silent. She dared not speak when he was talking, not even when he'd been there the first time two years previous; she heard his voice far too rarely as it was.

"I don't care for apologies." She'd expected that. "You failed to defeat a mere jonin," he rebuked sharply, to which she flinched, blood running cold. "You will correct this mistake, or don't bother seeking me out." She stared at him in paralyzing horror, feeling as though her stomach had dropped right out of her body — but he didn't care. She could see it in his eyes: he was frustrated. "If you cannot win against someone like him, then you have been a waste of my time."

Sakura jerked up with a desperate cry of, _"Aniki!"_ She was terrified — _so_ terrified — that he would leave her again. Tears burned her eyes and interfered with her field of vision —

But it wasn't _his_ arm she was grasping in fear.

It was Sasuke's — and he was clearly startled at her sudden movement.

"What—"

She couldn't hear the rest of what he said. The flood of relief was overwhelming, and she nearly started crying. In any other moment, Sasuke's blatant disbelief would have been hilarious.

But in _this_ moment, she was grateful — grateful that he wasn't looking at her with hatred and disdain, grateful that he wasn't calling her a failure — grateful, for the first time in her entire life, that he wasn't "aniki."

She didn't realize she was hugging him until he succeeded in detangling himself from her limbs. He pulled back as far as humanly possible and stared at her incredulously, wondering what in God's name was wrong with this crazy girl.

"Sorry," she mumbled, moving away as if she'd been burnt, avoiding his too-intelligent gaze. When she tried to push herself to her feet, she fell with a wince. Her muscles ached almost as much as they had after her first training session with "aniki." She found herself unable to get up.

She didn't look back at him until she heard his quiet mutter of, "Annoying."

He frowned down at her, already standing. Her tears were gone, and he could see that her panic had vanished with them. He didn't know what she was thinking right then, but it was obvious that her apparent nightmare had had something to do with her older brother.

Frown deepening, he left without a word to tell the dobe and their ridiculous sensei that she was awake.

And, quietly, he wondered what it was that made her so desperate to reunite with her nii-san while his experience with his own had gone so horribly.

.

"Sakura, what the hell were you _thinking_?"

She didn't even blink at Kakashi's scolding. After that nightmare about her disappointing _him_, nothing any of these people did could hurt her.

Naruto was grimacing to himself, unsure whether he agreed with his teacher or wanted to congratulate Sakura for distracting Zabuza long enough for he and Sasuke to free the currently irate man. (It was also something of a sight to see a man walk in on crutches, all but collapse on the floor, and proceed to berate a girl who, too, seemed unable to hold her own weight.)

"You nearly got yourself killed," he continued angrily, lone visible eye flashing. "Surely — _surely_ you weren't stupid enough to think that you could take Zabuza down by yourself!"

Sakura said nothing, neither denying it nor defending herself.

Because it was true. She _had_ been that stupid.

But going out onto the lake to draw Zabuza's attention — _that_ hadn't been a mistake. She'd already known by that point that he was stronger than her.

"Sakura-chan…," Naruto finally spoke up, but she cut him off.

"I did what was necessary," she stated simply, looking Kakashi right in the eye. "I was under no illusions of defeating him" — _at that time_ — "and I knew Naruto's plan would have a much lower chance of working if I didn't distract him." Her voice never wavered. "I couldn't take that chance."

Kakashi studied her keenly for a long moment before sighing. He'd hoped his students wouldn't follow in his footsteps and become jaded at such a young age; but maybe he could fix that yet. "I knew you bunch would be nothing but trouble," he grumbled, though the harsh note had left his tone. He appeared to be incredibly tired as he looked at her. "You did what any shinobi would do," he conceded, resting a palm on top of her head. She winced, still sore from Clone Zabuza's rough treatment, and he swiftly lightened his touch. "But, please," he said, smiling tightly, "make sure you don't throw away your childhood. No one expects you to be a perfect shinobi right now."

Sakura didn't know how to reply.

He gave them all a brighter smile this time, one from the heart. "And thank you, you cheeky little brats, for rescuing me."

Naruto grinned and began pestering Kakashi about how much of a badass he was. As the man's hand left her hair, she couldn't help but glance over at Sasuke, who had yet to say a thing. He was looking at her, as well, like he was trying to decipher a particularly difficult puzzle. She knew he was wondering about that little meltdown she'd had earlier when she'd nearly thrown herself at him, but she wasn't quite comfortable explaining it, so if he didn't come out and ask, she wouldn't tell.

And even if he _did_ ask, she still probably wouldn't tell.

.

"Wait." Sakura frowned. "A Hunter-nin showed up?"

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically, nodding. "It was so cool, Sakura-chan — I wish you could've seen! He had to have been our age, but he took Zabuza down with one hit!"

Her eyebrows shot up. "What kind of jutsu was he using?" _And_, she wondered, irritated, _how the hell did I miss so much?_

"Eh…" His nose scrunched up. "It wasn't a jutsu — he threw some needles."

"Senbon?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

Suspicion whispered in the corner of her mind. Surely not…

But her medical experience begged to differ.

"Where'd he hit him?"

"In the neck," the blond replied, much too eager to be discussing someone's death. "You should've seen it! He went down like a rock—"

But Sakura had stopped listening. Senbon in the neck? That wasn't a very efficient way to kill someone. For a target like the throat, bigger weapons like kunai were much more suitable; senbon were for face shots, stunning, or poisoning.

_Or,_ that little voice of suspicion murmured, _hitting chakra and pressure points._

"—and then he just took Zabuza's body and disappeared—"

Sakura's head snapped up so quickly that Naruto flinched at the sound of her neck cracking.

"Geez, Sakura-chan. That didn't—"

"He took the _body_?" she demanded, eyes narrowing. "Not just the head?"

He blinked. "Er, yeah."

"I thought so, too, Sakura-chan," Kakashi said, practically reading her mind. "As a medic, you know that the mind alone harbors a shinobi's secrets — not the body."

Sasuke froze. "No way…" Naruto frowned at him in confusion.

"So a Hunter-nin shouldn't need the whole body to erase anything he might know," she agreed grimly, ignoring Sasuke's input.

"What the heck are you three going on about?" Tazuna muttered with a raised brow, eyeing Kakashi and the two genin that were sharing a dark look.

Kakashi gazed at the man seriously. "There's a good chance Zabuza may still be alive."

The bridge builder nearly passed out. Naruto had to pick his chin up off the floor.

Tsunami, Tazuna's twenty-eight-year-old daughter, hadn't the slightest clue what they were talking about and didn't seem to care.

"But — but you checked his pulse!" Naruto sputtered, seconds away from leaping up and running about the room to work off his frustration.

"Yes," Kakashi agreed grudgingly, "but if those needles are targeted at certain points of the body, they can slow the heart and induce a death-like state in which the pulse is so weak, it's nearly impossible to detect."

Sakura pulled out a senbon from her pouch on the floor. "This is what he used, right, Naruto?" He nodded, blinking at the weapon. "Notice how small it is?" A second nod. She handed it to him. "Try to break it."

He looked at her for a moment, puzzled, before down at the needle and grabbing it by each end with two fingers. It snapped readily in half, surprising him. "It's really weak."

"Exactly," Sakura said. "So how would you use it to attack?"

Naruto frowned. "Go for the eyes or something, right?" he asked. "They're too flimsy to do much else."

She beamed at him approvingly. Naruto was actually very intelligent; he noticed a _lot_ more than people thought he did — he just had a bit of trouble piecing it all together. He couldn't see the forest for the trees.

His eyes lit up as it dawned on him. "So, then, the chance of the needles actually hitting something unless they have a direct target is super low," he concluded, face brightening. "And there aren't many vital spots in the neck that a weapon that tiny could inflict enough damage on to kill someone!"

Tazuna was taken aback. How the hell had he figured that out?

Sasuke smirked slightly. Maybe his blond teammate wasn't such an idiot, after all.

Sakura and Kakashi were proud. He was getting better at "looking underneath the underneath."

Tsunami was completely lost.

"Aren't you thinking about this too much?" Tazuna grunted, trying to relax. "Hunter-nin kill nuke-nin — and it sure looked like he was dead. What possible reason could that kid have to go to so much trouble just to save a guy like Zabuza?"

"The reason isn't important," Kakashi replied seriously. "With such suspicious circumstances, there's no way we can ignore this. And," his eye narrowed, "with Zabuza either dead or incapacitated, we can't be sure that Gatô won't hire someone stronger to kill you."

Naruto grinned widely, practically fidgeting in place, and it occurred to Kakashi that the blond was actually _happy_ he might still be out there. He was looking forward to fighting the man again. When Sakura saw this, she knew she should be taking a leaf from his book.

She should be relishing the chance to face him now that she knew what he was capable of — but first, she had to get stronger.

And Kakashi provided the perfect opportunity.

"We need to start preparing before it's too late."

"'Preparing'…?"

He smiled. "I'll be training you all."

"Training?" Naruto echoed incredulously. "How the heck is a little extra training gonna really help us?"

"You all have improved a lot," he praised, almost seeming amused. "You three even had to rescue _me_. Granted, you won't be able to beat him without me after this training, but it'll go a long way to help you protect yourselves."

"But if Zabuza _is_ alive," Tazuna objected, "why waste your time training? He could attack at any time — when you're too worn out to fight properly!"

"About that…" Kakashi didn't look worried. "A person put into a death-like trance needs at least a week or so to recover. He won't be coming around for a while."

"So we use this time to train," Sasuke concluded, arms crossed over his chest.

Naruto clenched a fist in eager anticipation. "Sounds good to me!"

"That's stupid."

The resident orange-clad ninja nearly toppled over in astonishment at the sudden voice. It turned out to be a little kid half his size with a fisherman's hat mostly obscuring his dark eyes and hair.

"Who the heck is that?" Naruto grumbled irritably to Sakura, sitting back down beside her.

"Inari!" Tazuna exclaimed with a smile, throwing his arms open for a hug. "Where have you been?"

There was a long pause.

Then: "…welcome back…Ojii-san…"

They were all massively unimpressed by the lack of care in his tone.

"Inari, say hello to these nice people," Tsunami, his mother, chided. "They're the ninja who protected your grandfather."

He looked at them with eyes no child should have. "They're all gonna die."

Naruto blew his top. "What'd you say, you little brat? !"

Inari was unfazed. "There's no way you can win against Gatô." Tazuna looked away, uncomfortable.

"You snot-nosed—"

"Keep it together," Kakashi reprimanded, but Naruto ignored him.

"Listen up!" he yelled. "I'm a super awesome ninja that's gonna be the Hokage someday! I'm gonna be a _hero_! I don't know this Gatô guy, but he's got _nothing_ on me!"

The kid snorted. "What are you, an idiot?" he muttered scathingly. "There's no such thing as heroes."

"SAY WHAT? !" His screech could've shattered glass. Sakura grabbed the back of his jacket to keep him from attacking the eight-year-old.

Inari turned on his heel, stating bluntly, "You should leave if you don't wanna die."

"Inari, where are you going?" Tazuna choked out.

"To look at the ocean from my room." The door slammed behind him.

It took a minute for the silence to be broken. "Sorry about that," the bridge builder finally mumbled, embarrassed.

"Damn it!" Naruto growled, scrambling to his feet.

"Naruto—" Sakura's warning was cut off as he ran out. She sighed, glaring at the ceiling.

Sasuke muttered something that sounded vaguely insulting, while Kakashi appraised Tazuna with an unreadable look.

.

Dinner with Tazuna and his family was somewhat uncomfortable. As they'd been debating well into the evening, Kakashi determined that they wouldn't be able to begin their training until the following day — something that Sakura resented. She honestly hadn't seen the point of Tazuna's insistence upon confirming Zabuza's continuation of life; she'd figured, _Just quit squabbling already so we can do something of actual importance,_ but had they done so? Of course not.

Thankfully, however, Naruto didn't seem too keen on striking up conversation after apparently catching Inari bawling his eyes out a couple hours previous, so the meal wasn't dragged out for any longer than strictly necessary. Sakura was the first to finish and immediately went to her room without a word. Kakashi didn't even appear to be eating — none of them could tell if he was somehow sneaking food past his mask at incredible speeds or tossing the food in a potted plant when they weren't looking. It didn't really matter either way, because Tsunami wouldn't let him leave the table until his plate was clean.

With dinner successfully out of the way, all occupants of the house retired to their respective rooms.

.

It was some time before Kakashi fell asleep and Sakura, unable to sneak out while the man was monitoring their chakra signatures from his room, passed that time by studying her three-year-old bingo book. Her teacher's familiar masked face peered up at her from the worn pages.

Not once had she ever thought to look for him in the bingo book, despite the incredible things she'd seen him do — not until Zabuza's comment about the bounty on his head. And now, as she examined his entry, she finally understood how amazing that porn-addicted pervert was.

"Hatake Kakashi," it read, "the man who copied over one thousand jutsu. He is the only person not of Uchiha descent to master the legendary Copy-Wheel Sharingan eye."

_Uchiha._

That meant Sasuke possessed yet another hidden ability — something else he was gifted with.

"Graduated the academy at age five. Promoted to chunin at age six, jonin at age thirteen." According to the birth date listed, he was now twenty-six.

He'd been a jonin for longer than she'd been alive.

It was astounding how far she'd underestimated him. At her current age, he had been preparing for his jonin exam, and she had only just graduated from the academy.

She didn't deserve to speak _aniki's_ name until she got stronger. Not until the day she could track him down and defeat him in battle, proudly stand as his equal.

And she didn't have time to waste sitting around here.

.

Sakura swore when the trunk of the three she'd been assaulting shattered. Glaring at the large splinters that littered the ground, she rammed her shoulder against the back of the tree, halting its descent.

_That's the second one, now,_ she thought bitterly as she gently lowered it until it rested on the forest floor — if the sparse scattering of trees could be categorized as such. Flicking the sweat from her forehead with her wrist, she spared no time in attacking a third willow. Faintly, she was grateful that they were in the Land of Waves. The temperature soared at all times of the days throughout Fire Country — even at night; here in Nami no Kuni, the midnight climate was graciously cool to her exertion-warmed skin.

To be fair, Sakura wasn't _trying_ to obliterate the trees. Even though they outlined a clearing nearly a hundred feet from Tazuna's house, they were still technically included with the man's land. She wasn't normally one for destruction of property, but her training couldn't wait.

She had to get stronger _now_.

Obviously, it wouldn't happen overnight, but every bit helped.

She became aware of Sasuke's presence when she destroyed another tree. Clenching a fist as she caught the falling willow, she tracked his leisurely approach. It had become rather clear to her during the fight with Zabuza that she didn't know what her teammates were capable of. She couldn't afford to miss even a single day of training.

When Sakura finally turned to face him, he was leaning against an old sycamore about six yards way, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his black sweatpants. Something about his face looked different, and it took her a second to realize that it was because he wasn't wearing his hitai-ate. His expression was calculating. They scrutinized one another for a few moments before he spoke up.

"Kakashi said no training tonight."

She snorted, shifting her feet into a casual stance and grasping her wrists behind her back to pop her shoulders.

"Like that's gonna stop me."

His countenance didn't change. "You're looking for your brother."

She never hesitated. "So are you."

There was another long minute in which they appraised the other's reaction. Somehow, Sasuke wasn't surprised that she knew. The silence extended for what seemed like hours.

"Hn."

Faintly satisfied, Sakura turned forty-five degrees to her right and made a couple quick jabs at the air to make sure her lack of movement hadn't locked up her muscles. Nodding to herself when she found them in good condition, she tugged at the edges of her protective black gloves. Still secure.

"Taijutsu?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she checked the weights hidden beneath her forearm guards. Although it was obvious to both of them that he already knew, he'd phrased it like a question. Calmly sliding the black polyester back over her arm weights, she gave a nonchalant, "Mmhm."

She was rewarded with silence again. His gaze followed her evenly as she crouched down to check the weights concealed by her boots. When she was content that all was in order, she stood and faced him once more. Her eyes assessed him, and she could tell that he was doing the same.

He wore a simple dark blue shirt without his trademark high collar and a pair of black sweatpants, feet bare. She didn't doubt that he was planning to sleep in those clothes.

Her own were hardly standard ninja attire, as well. A red tank top, black shorts, black stretchy arm guards over 20-kilogram bands, black gloves, and her usual black boot-sandals hiding another pair of 20-kilogram weights. No hitai-ate.

When their gazes met, neither spoke for a bit. It was strange, she reflected, how they'd yet to insult one another.

"You should be sleeping," he informed her rather bluntly.

She didn't even blink. "And you should be wearing shoes."

That comment actually made the corners of his lips twitch into the beginnings of a smirk. Sakura pulled a kunai from the tan pouch strapped to the back of her hip and walked to the jagged stump she'd made out of the first tree she'd destroyed, no less than five and a half feet from where he stood. She squatted and hacked at the serrated splinters that seemed to explode from the remnant until it was just smooth enough not to poke her in the ass when she sat on it. Elbows resting on her knees, she arched an eyebrow at him; she got the feeling he wasn't going to leave anytime soon. He raised an eyebrow of his own in return, shifting slightly to settle his back more comfortably against the tree. The silence lasted much longer this time; even Sakura's irregular breathing from the brief workout had quieted. A cloud drifted across the moon lazily, momentarily dimming the light before it brightened again. Their skin looked nearly white.

"Trying to deforest the island?" he retorted lightly in what almost sounded like a joking matter.

Though she was far from considering herself best friends with the Uchiha, she figured there was no point in being rude when he was displaying such remarkably _not_ arrogant behavior.

"Working on a jutsu, actually," she replied, tilting her head absently to scratch a dull itch behind her right ear without lifting her elbow from her knee.

She saw the interest flicker across his expression.

"Oh?"

That was as much of an inquiry as she was going to get. "I'm Wind Style," she said by way of explanation. "Aniki left me some Wind Style scrolls before he went."

His face was unreadable as though he was debating over which subject to breech first. He settled for the least complicated of the two.

"Didn't look like a Wind Style jutsu to me."

She knew he probably hadn't been trying to insult her due to the lack of his usual self-righteous smirk, so she bit back a sharp response.

"It's not a real jutsu, per se," she muttered. "You've seen my chakra-enhanced punches, yes?"

He gave a short nod, eyeing the three trees that had been completely snapped at the bases. The destructive power was impressive.

"Aniki wrote in one of the scrolls — probably just a thought on his part," she murmured, "that the strength of the blows could be intensified if I managed to manipulate the chakra to Wind Style. If I could pull it off, my taijutsu would be nearly perfected."

He grunted. It was plausible, though kind of a long shot.

"It isn't taijutsu you should be working on," he remarked, surprising her. She hadn't expected him to say anything.

Frowning, she demanded, "Then what _should_ I be working on?"

He ignored her irritable tone and stated flatly, "Your taijutsu is fine."

She was caught off guard. Coming from Sasuke, that was practically a compliment.

"Your defense isn't as strong as your offense," he continued, unconsciously shifting again for a better position to lean against the rough bark. "You rely on your medical ninjutsu to make up for your lack of evasion." Then, he pulled himself away from the sycamore, jammed his hands in his pockets, and began walking away. "I'd work on fixing that, if I were you."

For a minute, she didn't know what to say. As she stared at his back, Sasuke's words replayed in her head — in a different voice.

That was exactly something "aniki" would say.

"Sasuke!"

He paused and glanced at her over his shoulder.

She'd leapt to her feet. "Tell me about your brother," she said, voice almost coming out as a whisper.

That time, he full-blown smirked. Somehow, this looked like the real him — as though his wall was temporarily down.

"Only if you tell me about yours first."

It occurred to her as she watched him disappear through the scant forest that perhaps he wasn't such an asshole after all — that maybe, he was just like her.

* * *

_Your journey to strength has at last born fruit_

_As you now begin down a winding chute_

_That will lead to me — and me to you._


	9. Determination

Hey, guys — I know it's been a while. From the last chapter, you can probably guess that I've been pretty busy. But good news: school is now out, and I have officially graduated high school! :) Now, I have a lot more time (even though I still have work), so hopefully I'll be able to do a lot of updates very soon. I've also been typing up the new ATTWN chapter; that story is not forgotten! On top of that, I've got sequals half-way done for _Girlfriend For A Day_, _Operation: F U N_, and possibly _My Life As A Clinically Insane Pink Haired Girl_. All of those except for _Operation: F U N_ will be uploaded as another chapter; the sequel for _Operation: F U N_ will be called _Operation: E D U C A T I O N_. Please look for those in the near future!

Also, you guys are absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for putting up with my bitch rant last chapter — I know I sounded pretty mean, and I'm sorry for that. I was under a lot of pressure, and I'll try my best not to fly off the handle like that again.

I really hope this will be my first story to break 1000 reviews — I'm so excited! I plan to make it at least 20-25 chapters, hopefully the latter or even more. Thanks to all my readers who have stayed with my crazy updating!

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **Those poems down at the bottom are in italics because it's supposed to be like master speaking to marionette. When you see them change to bold in a few chapters, it's because it has changed to marionette speaking to master.

And because I can't remember the last time I did this: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.

Please read and review!

* * *

**Determination**

* * *

Sakura frowned at the material in her hands, eyeing the two shallow cuts across the longer left sleeve. The lower one she had gotten from one of the ex-Kiri-nin pair that had attacked them not long after they left the village. His long, wicked claws had been poisoned, and she could see old traces of it on the frayed edges of the slash, but her skin had thankfully remained unmarred. The second one a few inches higher, however, _had_ cut her arm — Zabuza's executioner blade had seen to that. Dried blood darkened the red cloth to a deep burgundy in a wide patch.

She sighed quietly, slipping the top on and adjusting its thick obi-like belt. No point in throwing it away.

.

"Alright, team." Kakashi beamed. "Your new training regimen begins today." Naruto, predictably enough, burst out with an ecstatic shout and fist pump, inadvertently scaring away every living creature within a half-mile of the forest they currently resided in. "But, first," he interrupted somewhat sternly, "we need to discuss your chakra." The blond silently thanked Kami-sama above that Sakura had given him an in-depth lecture about how chakra performed when they were in the academy; he'd always known how to use chakra, of course, but he'd been completely clueless as to how the process worked. "More specifically, we need to talk about your chakra _control_."

Sasuke arched an skeptical eyebrow. "If we can execute ninjutsu, then we clearly have control of our chakra."

"Wrong!" Kakashi seemed a little too happy to correct him. At the Uchiha's flat look and Naruto's frown, he elaborated. "Manipulation of chakra, as you all should know, refers to summoning physical and mental energies and combining them within your body. Depending on which technique you wish to employ, the amount of chakra needed varies, as does the makeup of the element or elements required. No matter how great the amount of chakra you summon, if you cannot maintain balance of the energies, not only will the effectiveness of your maneuver be cut in half, but you could blunder so badly that the jutsu may not be released at all." His lone visible eye drifted to Sakura who, though she already knew all of this from _aniki_, had deigned to listen just in case the man came out with something truly riveting, however unlikely that may have been. "As of now, Sakura has the best chakra control of this team."

She couldn't help the slight twinge of inflated ego at his praise when she felt both of her comrades turn to look at her. She stopped herself from reacting outwardly, though; pride was a double-edged sword, and if she allowed herself to seem smug, her teammates would undoubtedly bristle with indignation.

"Nice, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whispered-yelled.

Kakashi offered her a smile, catching the way her expression was a bit _too_ uncaring. "Medical ninjutsu is nothing to sniff at," he complimented, shifting his weight on the stupid crutches he'd been forced to walk with. His body was still too exhausted to support itself properly. "It requires a severe level of concentration, and the slightest waver of chakra control can mean the difference between a live patient and a dead one."

Sakura bit back the pleased twitching of the corners of her lips. It was nice to finally meet someone who appreciated the effort medics had to put forth.

"And that strength of yours," he continued, "requires not only control, but timing, as well. Releasing such a concentrated burst of chakra in a single second is a feat the vast majority of shinobi today cannot claim. Simply molding chakra into your hands alone is incredible for a genin." His eye crinkled warmly. "I'm very proud of you, Sakura."

To her mortification, she felt her face heat up, and Sasuke's glare burned a hole through the back of her head. Even Naruto was grumbling something about being behind.

"Which brings us to the goal of today's training!" They were all taken aback by the man's abrupt change in tune, and they exchanged incredulous looks despite the previous animosity.

"Er, what?"

"To begin to control your chakra effectively, you must go out on a limb and learn from experience." He gave a bright smile and pointed up. "You're going to climb trees!"

Sasuke and Naruto were massively unimpressed. Sakura grimaced; this was way too easy.

"How the heck is _that_ gonna help us?" the loudest member of their team demanded, scowling at him. "We're supposed to be doing some actual _training_!"

Kakashi was obviously enjoying this. "Because you don't get to use your hands."

A long silence ensued. "…eh?"

"Watch and learn."

The jonin brought his hands together in the tiger seal, and a blue glow suddenly enveloped his feet. They all watched as he turned to a rather tall tree and, without hesitation, begin walking up the side as though he were walking normally on the ground. Naruto had to pick his jaw up off the forest floor, and Sasuke's eyebrows rose sharply. Sakura absently checked the weights on her upper arms, having seen the technique a thousand times before; she'd had to move them up from her forearms whenever she strapped on the section of puppet arm _aniki_ had made for her — her keepsake that functioned as an arm guard, sprang up with a chakra shield when needed, and could shoot ten poisoned senbon. Her team had yet to be introduced to that last function, however.

"Just like how Sakura can mold chakra to her hands for healing and punches, you all must focus your chakra to the soles of your feet and use that to cling to the trunk." So he _had_ managed to relate the training to his earlier comments on Sakura's abilities. Maybe he wasn't as crazy as they thought he was. "This will help you to gain better control of your chakra," he explained, seeming much more teacher-like than he ever had before. "To use no more than strictly necessary, and to maximize its effectiveness in where and how it's applied — this control is the most critical aspect of every jutsu you'll ever apply."

Naruto frowned up at him faintly, musing at how odd it was to be conversing with a man standing upside down on a branch several meters above them.

"The soles of the feet are the most difficult location to concentrate chakra. So, in theory, if you can do this successfully, no jutsu should ever be beyond your ability." He pulled two kunai from his pocket. "Me talking all day will get us nowhere. This is something you'll have to learn on your own." With barely a flicker of his hand, the pair of blades imbedded themselves in the ground at Naruto and Sasuke's feet. "Use those to mark how high you get up the tree, then use that as your goal to surpass each time. You won't be able to just walk up the tree in the beginning, so I'd suggest you get a running start." Sakura raised an eyebrow at Kakashi as the boys leaned down to take the kunai, curious as to why she was being left out.

"This is nothing!" Naruto bragged, grinning widely. "I'll have it down flat before breakfast!"

"Quit boasting, pick a tree, and get moving," Kakashi deadpanned. He ignored the blond's scowl and turned his attention to Sakura. "Since I saw you balancing on the water when you engaged Zabuza, can I assume you've already learned how to do this?"

Instead of replying, she leapt at the closest tree and darted up the trunk until she reached the first branch. Kakashi nodded more to himself than her, having expected that. Naruto watched her with a mix of awe and irritation that someone hadn't taught him how to do that a long time ago.

"What can I have you do?" he pondered aloud as she jumped back down beside her teammates.

"Sensei," she interrupted, to which his eyebrows rose nearly to his hitai-ate, "I have a training regimen of my own. I'd prefer to go by it rather than work on chakra control, as I'm lacking in other fields."

He blinked, not quite sure how to respond. Sakura sensed Sasuke's gaze on her, but she didn't acknowledge him. His words from the previous night had inspired her.

"Ah, sure," he finally agreed, starting to walk back down the tree. "Do you need a hand?"

She hesitated for a second. Kakashi was just trying to help. It couldn't hurt to get some pointers from him, but he'd have to realize that she'd organized her regimen a specific way, and _he would not mess it up_.

"If you can do anything to help me work on my defense, then yes — a hand would be acceptable."

.

Five minutes into her training, Sakura knew it wasn't going to work. Kakashi was quite obviously the type that liked to take charge of a situation, and that wasn't gonna fly with her.

So she told him straight-out, "Sensei, I go by my own regimen. Stick to it, or please go find something else to occupy yourself with." The _'please'_ had been added on the spur of the moment; she figured she should at least _try_ to be polite when she told him to shit or get off the pot.

Kakashi frowned, a bit miffed at being scolded by one student in front of his other two students — one of which, hilariously enough, had just fallen off the tree and bashed his head on the ground for the _n_th time.

Okay, so _maybe_ it'd been a bit rude of him to call her training schedule "ridiculous," but honestly, what was the point of all her stretches? Not once had he ever stretched before a training session, and he was a perfectly fine, perfectly able man in his prime.

Ignoring the crutches he was currently using.

"Fine, fine — do your silly stretches."

"They aren't silly," she told him flatly as she curled her body forward to grab the sole of her right foot with the corresponding hand. "Limbering up beforehand prevents muscle cramps and other similar injuries afterward." She leaned further and managed to hook her wrist around the heel of her boot. "You should always stretch _after_ a session, as well, to ease your muscles back into a state of non-exertion."

Kakashi grimaced. He was pretty sure a person shouldn't be able to lean forward that far without pulling something, and dear God, _was her spine supposed to crack like that_?

She switched to her left foot. "Can you honestly tell me you've never felt sore at the beginning of a workout?"

Over the course of the conversation, Naruto had been gradually slipping into a daze, listening to what was being said more than he was paying attention to his tree climbing escapade. And it was a shame, too; the poor guy unknowingly tripled his max height simply by relaxing into the exercise and not putting forth so much unnecessary effort — which meant that when the encore of Sakura's spinal cracking horrified him enough to send him toppling to the ground in a painful pile, he was too distracted to mark his place. The aforementioned kunoichi watched him fall with a detached sort of interest.

It made her wonder why she was even giving them advice on warm-up stretches in the first place. Since when had she been concerned with their health? Aside from Naruto, she didn't really _like_ any of them — "like" being a relative term, of course, seeing as she hadn't allowed herself to get close enough to them to figure out if she enjoyed their company or not. Naruto, she would admit, had wormed his way through many layers of her shell.

But not all the way to the core.

That spot was reserved for only one person.

So why, she found herself musing once more as she studied Kakashi clocking Naruto over the head with one of his crutches (he apparently hadn't appreciated the blond's remark about old men and "dumb tree climbing drills"), was she offering them advice without prompt?

.

Kakashi, as it turned out, proved more useful than she expected. The most he could do in his state was throw barrage after barrage of weapons at her, but that was acceptable — it forced her to work on her dodging.

Kakashi found the whole experience enlightening as well — it made him realize just how much he _did not like_ crutches.

It was weird, Sakura thought as she twisted to avoid five kunai strategically throw to drive her into a position unfit for blocking or attacking. No, not weird.

Foreign.

Training with Kakashi was entirely different from training with _aniki_.

Kakashi complemented her every time she successfully dodged a group of weapons even though he couldn't have been throwing them at full speed or strength. He was making it _easier_, and he congratulated her for it.

It was…_satisfying_.

As though he were proud of her just for trying.

Sakura wasn't sure how that made her feel.

A shuriken clipped her arm, almost directly in the middle of the gashes in her sleeve from the rouge chunin and Zabuza. She grit her teeth, right hand automatically flying up to heal it.

It froze an inch above her skin, and she nearly tripped over her own two feet. Furious with herself, she forced her body to move faster and ignored Kakashi's surprised, "Sakura?"

What the hell was the matter with her?

First she was spacing out and actually got hit when she _knew_ she'd dodged weapons thrown faster and more accurately by _aniki_, then she'd effectively choked up and almost got hit by _another_ shuriken.

"_You rely on your medical ninjutsu to make up for your lack of evasion."_

She clicked her tongue angrily.

_He wasn't being nice — he was just pointing out a flaw so that I don't hold the team back. _Her eyes narrowed as she made herself move even faster — fast enough that Kakashi worried she was working her body too hard. _Get your shit together already, Sakura. You _know_ this._

She skidded to a halt, chest heaving with the effort of pushing herself on top of her irritation, when the weapons ceased. Kakashi eyed her speculatively, approaching her slowly on his crutches. Naruto gave another shriek as he landed on his head.

"Sakura."

She looked up quickly, jerked out of her thoughts.

Then, she froze when she felt his hand settle warmly on the top of her head. Kakashi smiled down at her, eye crinkling.

"You've done really well, Sakura-chan." His smile widened. "I know I already said this, but I'm very proud of you."

"But this is nothing," she blurted out, which she would later be horrified at herself for. "Dodging weapons is something I've been doing for years — I shouldn't be getting tripped up like this — I just keep messing up —"

"Sakura," he interrupted her, tone calm and kind. He ruffled her hair just enough to show affection. "Remember what I told you yesterday. You're perfect the way you are."

All she could do was stare up at him, eyes wide.

"_You did what any shinobi would do. But, please, make sure you don't throw away your childhood. No one expects you to be a perfect shinobi right now."_

How strange it was — the urge to hug someone. It popped up at the most obscure of times.

And it was awfully hard to resist.

But Sakura was an expert at resisting.

.

It was a little while later, when Sakura was running through a defensive kata and doing her best to drown out everything else, when she heard a rather distinctive _'thud'_ followed by an aggravated, "Darn it!" It was about the hundredth time Naruto had fallen off the tree, and he'd made little progress. The highest he'd managed to get was about ten feet, while Sasuke had ascended nearly twenty-five — only five feet above the first mark he'd made. To say the pair were pissed was an understatement.

Sakura dutifully ignored this, however, and focused completely on her kata. She couldn't be distracted. She couldn't leave it at "good enough," as Kakashi had said. She had to get stronger.

And she had to quit getting sucked into this ridiculous team if she ever wanted to leave on her hunt for _aniki_.

No attachments.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?"

She froze, elbow raised as a shield for her temple barely a centimeter away from Naruto's face. She cursed herself for not paying attention.

"What?"

He scratched at the back of his head anxiously, grimacing off to the side. "Um, could you help me get the hang of this? I'm not having much luck…"

She studied him for a moment, sliding back into a relaxed stance, and allowed her gaze to travel to Sasuke, who was attempting the tree again. It was obvious that he was ignoring them on purpose. She looked back to Naruto, taking in his embarrassed frown.

Her mouth answered before her mind could.

"Alright, come here."

He blinked at her, cheeks flushed, as she grabbed his wrist and tugged him after her to the nearest tree. It wouldn't do just to tell Naruto; he was a kinesthetic learner. She lifted her right foot and placed it on the trunk, motioning for him to do the same.

Releasing his wrist and forming the tiger seal, she instructed, "Put your hand on my arm and feel my chakra."

His face blanked. "Eh?"

"Just try it," she bit out.

He fumbled to do so, flush darkening, and closed his eyes in concentration. Sakura focused chakra to the sole of her right foot and waited for his reaction. He said nothing.

"Can you feel how my chakra is concentrated?"

He paused. "Uh…"

That was a no.

He probably hadn't been taught how to sense other people's chakra yet, she reminded herself. No sweat. She could show him another way.

"Alright, then try this," she amended. "Slide your foot over until it's touching mine."

He was clearly only too happy to oblige, if his silly grin was anything to go by.

"Now, focus chakra to your feet."

He removed his hand from her arm and made the tiger seal without complaint, furrowing his eyebrows as he struggled to meet her expectations. She felt as it blazed to life around his foot, and she quickly sensed the problem.

"You aren't using enough chakra," she told him, and it honestly surprised her. With all the chakra he possessed, one would expect the opposite. Before she could say more, he quickly flooded his entire foot with chakra. "Whoa! Hold up! Too much!"

His face fell as he released the chakra he'd pooled, breaking his concentration. "Sorry…"

"Let's try this again," she said calmly, placing her hands on his shoulders while keeping her foot planted on the trunk of the tree. "Close your eyes." He did so immediately. "Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Calm. Now let your chakra trickle down to your foot." She closed her own eyes and felt for his chakra, matching it up to the bit pulsing at the sole of her foot. "A little more…stop. Keep it steady. Alright, eyes open." He looked at her nervously. "Stay calm. It's alright, Naruto — you're doing good. Now, gently place your other foot on the trunk. I'll do it with you."

True to her word, she took a step up the tree with him. Then another. And another. He grinned widely, throwing his arms out in celebration.

"YES!" he screamed to the world, undoubtedly scaring the people miles away in the village. "I DID IT! I DID IT!"

And his feet abruptly popped off the tree.

He shrieked in a rather high-pitched tone before Sakura caught him by his collar and eased him down to the ground.

Sighing, she reprimanded, "You've got to stay calm and focused, Naruto. Chakra control has a lot to do with your state of mind, and if you keep freaking out like that, you lose your grip."

He squirmed in place, cowed, and Sakura couldn't help the stab of sympathy she felt for him.

Damn him for worming his way in; she was supposed to save all attachments for _aniki_.

Try as she might, she couldn't stop the gentle smile from her lips. "Good job," she murmured. "You did it."

His head shot up, red creeping all the way down his throat. Then, a huge grin lit up his entire face. "Thanks, Sakura-chan! You're the best!"

With a quick, bone-crushing hug that nearly made her fall off as well even though she'd only taken three steps up the trunk, he hurdled off and flew up his original tree. He almost doubled his previous mark before toppling off, having been so excited that he concentrated a little _too_ much.

Sasuke stared down at him in shock, now only about seven feet ahead, and was forced to break his own fall by kicking off the side of another tree. Kakashi beamed across the clearing at Sakura, who was doing her best to kick herself repeatedly.

No matter how many times she yelled at herself to cut her ties with these people because she knew she wouldn't be able to stay with them forever, they always somehow managed to pull her back it.

And like with Kakashi's training methods, she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

.

That night, as they all sat around the dinner table, Sakura's mind was elsewhere. She didn't pay attention to any of it, even though her mind registered it all — she'd be able to remember all that was said and done if she tried, but she couldn't find it in her to care at the moment. Sasuke and Naruto, who just _had_ to have an eating contest and throw it up afterwards as means of one-upping one another since they were competing in their training, didn't notice her lack of attentiveness. Kakashi might have, but she figured he was too busy feeding his vegetables to the potted plant again. Tsunami was too swamped with taking care of the idiot pair that kept puking up her cooking, and Tazuna seemed pretty absorbed in his sake. Inari, of course, didn't give a crap even if he did notice, so Sakura went undisturbed in her thoughts.

Aniki.

What would he think if he could see her now?

The previous morning's nightmare played through her head again, nearly eliciting a shiver.

Sakura didn't know what she would do if he was upset with her. Her life would be over — because he _was_ her life. He had given her everything. A reason to live, a place to stay, a means to achieving her goal, a family to love, a —

A precious person to protect.

He was her everything.

And she'd be thrice damned before she let him down.

She would not get attached to these people. She would not lighten her training. She would not let them get ahead of her.

She would not lose to Zabuza or his little masked sidekick.

And she sure as hell wouldn't lose to anyone else.

.

The quiet skittering was infuriatingly loud in the still silence. It would progress with a quick _skit, skit, skit,_ then pause. Wait. Then _skit, skit, skit_. Halt. _Skit, skit, skit, skit, skit…_

Teeth ground in the waning, gray light. The sun was going down. Black clouds cried insistently, and the skies wailed. It didn't make a sound through the thick stone walls.

The light switch was off; the door closed; the window displaying black and gray, uninhibited by blinds or curtains.

_Skit, skit, skit, skit, skit…_

The soundless tightening of fingers.

_Skit, skit, skit_ _—_ _thack._

A kunai pinned the small, white spider to the wall near the ceiling. Carmel-chocolate eyes narrowed. Fingers curled around a second blade. His face darkened.

A tiny, mocking voice in an exaggeratedly high pitch squeaked from the spider as it disappeared with white smoke and an obnoxious _pop_.

"_Ouch, danna!"_

Sasori's jaw clenched.

They'd recruited the brat barely a week earlier, and he was already earning himself a one-way ticket to his agonizing death.

* * *

_Your strings belong to me alone,_

_So let your heart be naught but stone_

_For the loss of your love I will not condone._


	10. Solidarity

And, FINALLY, the Land of Waves Arc ends! I know it's taken a while, but Sasori will be back soon! I promise! :)

Thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter; they really made my day. I guess most of your have seen by now that I had to repost _My Life As A Clinically Insane Pink Haired Girl_ after the admins took it down for a cuss word in the summary. Before, it had eighty-something reviews on it, and now it only has eighteen. It's kinda depressing.

But, yeah, anyway — here's the next chapter (extra long!). I hope you all enjoy it, because I know I've certainly had fun writing it. Part one is almost over!

Please read and review! :)

* * *

**Solidarity**

* * *

Night two of training went rather successfully, if she did say so herself. She summoned two clones and instructed them to come at her with everything they had, and they followed her orders only too happily. They went all-out, holding absolutely nothing back, and it made Sakura wonder if she inwardly had it out for herself.

Fighting against herself — especially _two_ of herself — was a lot more difficult than she'd first imagined. She'd never really stopped to consider that these clones were just like her — their minds worked the same way hers did, so they knew all of her tricks and aces, just as she did theirs. They, of course, had less chakra, but the two of them combined were quite the handful. And they weren't shadow clones, either, so a single hit didn't disperse them; they were the kind you had to kill or unsummon.

It provided a nice challenge. When her chakra levels dipped uncomfortably low, she switched to straight-up taijutsu, and her clones complied. This carried on for hours, and she relished in the burning of her muscles; it was familiar territory.

To her shock, sometime around one in the morning, one of her clones struck up conversation.

"Team Seven has certainly gotten interesting."

Her other clone automatically snorted, earning a frown.

"What was that about?"

How weird it was, Sakura mused, watching her clones argue while simultaneously engaging her in combat; they weren't even looking at her — they were too busy glaring at each other — and they never paused in their attacks. She remained perfectly silent, taking it all in.

"I can't afford to be distracted by them; how am I supposed to fulfill my goal if they keep getting in the way and making me soft?"

"But I can't just leave them to their own devices — Naruto's hopeless without me." The first clone smiled at her own joke, because she knew it was as far from the truth as possible.

"He can take care of himself. And if it turns out that he can't, then it's his own fault."

"Naruto is my friend!"

"I don't have friends."

The way they both said "I" and never referred to the other as "you" was a little unsettling. Sakura felt like she was watching herself have an internal debate from the viewpoint of a bystander.

And that, she suddenly realized with a start, was exactly what was happening. She was witnessing her conflicting feelings duke it out. The personality she'd childishly dubbed "Inner Sakura" when she was younger was making her presence known for the first time in years.

"Even so, he's my teammate — and so are Kakashi and Sasuke."

Clone Two grunted as the real Sakura's kick connected solidly with her chest, sending her skidding back a few feet. "And?"

"_And_ teammates should look out for one another," Clone One retorted, twisting around to deliver a quick jab.

"What about _aniki_?" Clone Two countered.

Sakura swore as a punch slammed into her jaw.

"If I'm going to track him down and prove to him that I wasn't a waste of his time, then I'm going to have to leave Konoha eventually."

"That doesn't mean I have to be a jerk to my teammates."

"But if I get attached to them, I won't be able to leave them when I go after _aniki_. It's one or the other — I can't have both."

The real Sakura's fist cracked against Clone One's chin hard enough to break its neck — and just like that, it was destroyed. Clone Two stood there, hands on her hips, and pierced her with an icy look.

"Well?" she demanded. This was the person she'd become after meeting _aniki_, while Clone One had been her nature before meeting him and after joining Team Seven — and the real her was a combination of them both. "So what's it gonna be?"

Sakura hastily dispersed the clone, feeling something akin to panic rise in her throat.

This wasn't good. She was more conflicted than she'd thought. How had Naruto and the other two managed to dig their way in so deeply? Everything had been so easy before they came along — but, at least, her mind wasn't fighting over who was more important to her. It still recognized _aniki_ as her priority.

The only problem was deciding if she should let them into her heart as well.

But that would mean splitting her loyalty. _Aniki_ would always come first no matter what, of course, but some small part of her would be too busy cherishing these people to cherish him.

And she didn't know if she could do that to him. He'd given her everything, and she'd never be able to repay him for that — the least she could do was give him her undivided affection.

And Clone Two was right — if she _did_ let Team Seven in, what would happen when she had to leave them?

She couldn't deal with this right now.

Running a hand through her sweaty, grime-streaked hair in an attempt to calm herself down, she absently noted that it extended perhaps an inch past her shoulders.

Longer than she was comfortable with, but it hardly mattered in the face of the rest of her troubles. She abruptly decided that she wouldn't cut it until she'd made up her mind over this mess once and for all. Somehow, it felt as though that resolution had lightened her load.

Sakura sighed and turned to go back to the house, but she paused when she sensed Naruto's chakra signature. It was muted but not disturbed, so he'd probably passed out somewhere during a round of late-night training. Her eyes drifted up to the moon, discerning from its position that it was around two in the morning.

The two sides of her mind fought over what to do, and she quickly appeased them both by reminding herself that he was a ninja who possessed more skills than she gave him credit for — he'd be okay sleeping in the forest. Nodding to herself, she trekked back to Tazuna's house, making sure along the way to bend and work her limbs more than necessary so they wouldn't lock up when she went to sleep. When she slipped into her room and removed her training gear, she got the distinct feeling that Sasuke and Kakashi were both awake and aware of her return from their own rooms.

.

.

.

The next morning, Kakashi did his damnedest to convince Sakura to accompany Tazuna to the bridge and into town, apparently having realized she'd been out all night running herself into the ground. Sakura, however, adamantly refused; she wasn't about to waste a day of training and Kakashi, evidently recognizing this, let the subject drop. He ended up going with Tazuna instead even though he was still using the crutches.

During her limited hours of sleep, only about half of Sakura's chakra replenished itself — but that was okay, because she didn't plan on using more than it took to make two clones who could throw weapons at her.

She trained a hundred or so feet away from her teammates, both of whom were still trying to climb to the very tops of their respective trees. She vaguely caught Naruto muttering something under his breath about a guy named Kaiza, and she recalled Tazuna telling them the night before that he was Inari's deceased adopted father.

Listening to the blond's quiet chatter made Sakura glad she'd thought to create her clones _without_ vocal cords. She didn't want a repeat of the previous night's (or that morning's?) debate.

.

.

.

Night three of training, when her chakra had recovered itself completely, progressed in much the same manner — except she remembered not to give her clones vocal cords. That didn't stop their occasional glares, however. Nevertheless, Sakura felt it panned out smoothly.

Naruto, from what she could tell, would be spending another night in the forest, and while his determination was impressive, _aniki_ had taught her to be more sensible than that. Halting training when you were on the verge of passing out rather than _letting_ yourself pass out allowed your body time to at least partially recuperate itself, meaning you could train longer during each session following it before you needed to rest again.

She released a slow, calm breath as she slid into a crouch.

Yes. This routine was exactly what she needed.

.

.

.

"Hey. Naruto."

The blond gave a startled screech as he fell headfirst from the tree. Balling his fists, he rounded on Sasuke angrily.

"You're breaking my concentration, teme!" he shouted loud enough for the entire forest to hear.

Sasuke frowned as his teammate glared at him.

Naruto crossed his arms. "What?" he grumbled.

The Uchiha turned his face away almost childishly, if such a word could ever describe someone like him. "You asked Sakura for help a couple days ago," he grunted. "So…what did she tell you?"

Sakura felt very close to smiling from her training spot a couple clearings away, far enough for them to think she couldn't hear them. That urge increased tenfold when she caught Naruto's burst of laughter and taunting, "None of your business!"

.

.

.

The normality of it — training however she wanted, whenever she wanted — was good for her. In that one week, she could almost _feel _herself getting stronger. She'd come to predict all of her clones' movements, so she'd been having to replace them a couple times during her sessions as she took them out more quickly than expected. She was getting better at pinpointing tells as to what her opponents were about to do, and she was fighting smart.

No more relying on her medical ninjutsu to fix her up after an injury; dodging was more advantageous in the long run because, even though it taxed her energy-wise, it saved her the trouble of being slowed down by and wasting chakra on a wound.

She hated to admit it, but Sasuke had been right.

But it didn't matter that she was irritated for having not realized it herself; his advice had pushed her one step closer to achieving the strength she needed to find _aniki_ — the strength she would need to become his sword and shield.

"_You will become my tool. You will fight for me, aid me when I call upon you. From now until the moment of your death, you will pledge loyalty only to me. Not to this village, and not to your future teammates. Me. In exchange, I will ensure that you become the most widely-revered kunoichi of your time."_

Her purpose in life was to be someone he could rely on to fight for him, protect him, and help him obtain anything he wished, because only then could she even _begin_ to make up for the life he'd given her.

.

.

.

Sakura was listening to Kakashi explain that he didn't need his crutches anymore to a skeptical Tsunami at the dinner table when Naruto and Sasuke quite literally stumbled in, the former's arm thrown over the latter's shoulders for support. They were both clearly exhausted and covered in sweat, but they looked to be immensely satisfied.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Tazuna joked, raising an eyebrow at them.

Naruto grinned, huffing with the effort of remaining conscious. "Both of us," he nearly slurred, one eye closed, "made it to the top of the tree."

"Good," Kakashi murmured, nodding. "Naruto, Sasuke, starting tomorrow, the two of you can help Sakura and I protect Tazuna."

"Yes, sir!"

Sakura didn't argue about the loss of her training schedule; Kakashi had told her and the owners of the house earlier that day that he suspected they had little time before Zabuza and his masked companion came back to kill Tazuna again. If his calculations were correct, then she couldn't afford to wear herself out with more training right before another attack.

Tazuna then began saying something about how the bridge was almost complete, but Sakura didn't care to listen. She continued to eat in silence as Naruto and Inari broke out into another argument, ending with the blond snapping that he was nothing but a big baby, to which the boy was reduced to tears and ran off. While silence reigned, Kakashi went after him — no doubt to explain Naruto's past so that he'd understand why he'd been sneered at.

All throughout it, Sakura simply ate and planned.

.

.

.

Sakura tensed when she saw Kakashi's head snap up. Five bridge-builders lied nearly dead at the end of the very bridge they were counting on to save them from Gatô. Instinctively, she and Sasuke swung around to guard Tazuna. They'd left Naruto behind at the house because he hadn't budged that morning when they'd tried to wake him; he'd been too tired after pushing himself over his limit the night before.

"They're coming," Kakashi warned, eyeing the mist that seemed to appear from nowhere and creep up around them. _So, I was right…Zabuza really _is_ still alive…_

Kirigakure — the technique named for the Village Hidden in the Mist — enveloped them completely in a matter of seconds, but this time it wasn't nearly as thick; it merely besieged the bridge in an apparent effort to cut them off from the rest of the Land of Waves.

"Been a long time, Kakashi…" The jonin's lone visible eye narrowed at the familiar voice. "And I see you've got those brats tagging along, again… But what about that blond one, hm? My, he must have been shaking in his little sandals if he couldn't work up the courage to come, the poor thing…"

His taunt was still echoing across the bridge when five water clones suddenly materialized, surrounding them completely. Kakashi heard the distinct sound of ninja-standard shoes sliding against concrete, and he knew without looking that both of his students had slid into battle-ready positions. He smiled.

"Sasuke, Sakura — have at it."

Without hesitation, the pair sprang at all five clones and took them down in a matter of seconds — but, to Zabuza's credit, the clones hardly fought back at all, and they only possessed one-tenth of their original's power. Tazuna looked vaguely impressed.

"Well!" Zabuza chuckled, the mist parting to reveal him standing a dozen meters away with the masked guy at his side. "My water clones were certainly no match for you. Looks like the brats have matured into semi-worthy opponents, eh, Haku?"

"Indeed," his companion murmured, but unlike the former, no trace of mocking was detectable in his tone.

"So, our mysterious masked friend is playing on Zabuza's team," Kakashi stated blandly, as if to remind the "Haku" person that he'd betrayed them.

"He's got some nerve, showing up like this," Tazuna agreed, a grimace etched across his face.

"He's mine," Sasuke grit out, and, much to Sakura's irritation, he darted forward with the obvious intent to take his opponent out.

She entertained the brief idea of helping him, but Haku abruptly vanished in a swirl of what seemed to be snow and reappeared barely an inch before him, nearly catching him off guard. Sasuke twisted on his heel to avoid a fist full of senbon, swiping a kunai from the pouch at his thigh. Sakura studied the assailant intently, not daring to blink; she had a feeling Kakashi would be tackling Zabuza by himself, which left this guy to her and Sasuke, and she needed to see how he fought if she was going to formulate an effective way to counter his attacks.

Both combatants jerked around and swung out, weapons clashing as they found themselves in a sort of stalemate. Zabuza scrutinized Sasuke.

_He can keep up with Haku's speed…_ His gaze flickered to Sakura, who remained unaware of his attention. _And that one from before. Not to mention that blond kid…_ A smirk stretched the bandages concealing his mouth. _Kakashi's got himself an interesting little team, here._

"I do not wish to kill you," Haku said rather matter-of-factly, "but I presume you won't leave quietly."

Sasuke smirked, arm practically trembling with the effort of parrying the other boy's senbon. "Don't be stupid."

"As I thought."

Sakura, personally, found it kind of pointless to have these long dialogues during a fight, but hey — that was just her. Besides, it gave her a chance to assess Haku's chakra levels, and from what she could tell, he was preparing for some form of jutsu. Her muscles itched to spring into action, but she reminded herself to wait; she had to be smart about this.

When he began performing seals with one hand, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Damn, he was fast — that was impressive. One particular sign caught her attention, and she realized that it was a water technique.

So, he was a Water-Type, huh? And Zabuza was a Water-Type, too. That put them at a bit of a disadvantage, seeing as the bridge was in the middle of an ocean.

A surge of chakra built up around Sasuke and Haku as the water lying on the concrete abruptly shot into the air and formed thousands of needles. The former leapt away just as the tiny spikes impaled themselves in the exact spot he'd been barely a second earlier. Before he had a chance to see where the Uchiha had gone, Haku was forced to flip back to avoid a volley of shuriken.

"You're pretty slow."

The fake Hunter-nin tensed, then spun and blocked Sasuke's kunai with his forearm, ducking below a second one. That, however, dropped his head directly in the path of a sharp kick; it connected with his jaw, and the force threw him back almost a dozen feet.

"You may be fast," Sasuke sneered, "but I'm faster."

Sakura watched the masked shinobi slowly rise to his feet, tuning out Kakashi's smug little speech about how awesome his team was. Something didn't sit well with her; he was far too calm, and even though Zabuza had frowned at seeing Haku get hit, he was looking rather confident as well. They had something else up their sleeves — she could feel it.

Then, the air grew suddenly cold.

"What a pity," Haku said flatly, chakra flaring up.

_He's serious, now,_ Sakura thought grimly, then she swore inwardly. That was a _lot_ of chakra he was building up. This wouldn't be good.

"Makyō Hyōshō."

'Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals?' She hadn't heard of that jutsu before.

And when he brought his hands up in an unfamiliar seal, Sakura knew it was time to make a move.

"No—!"

She ignored Kakashi's warning as the water around her target and teammate shuddered, and she shot forward, leaving her teacher to defend their client. Haku lifted an elbow to deflect her strike without breaking his hand sign, and Sakura smirked.

Wrong move.

As large slabs of ice rose up around them, Sakura's glove-clad fist slammed into Haku's forearm — and then, to the shock of both him and Zabuza, he smashed straight through the mirror behind him and was sent flying off into the mist.

"You alright, Sasuke?" she asked without taking her eyes away from the direction Haku disappeared in.

He grunted.

"Ah, well, maybe you'd be better off in there," Kakashi muttered, more to himself since he knew his student wasn't really making an effort to listen to him. With a resigned sigh, he positioned himself precisely between Tazuna and Zabuza, both of whom apparently couldn't believe their eyes.

She thought quickly. That punch had broken his arm cleanly, but she doubted it would be enough to incapacitate him; it was a shame she hadn't managed to hit his face, because he'd certainly be much more wary of getting close to her, now. And those ice mirrors posed a problem — what were they used for? Whatever it was, it wouldn't be pleasant, and it looked as though it were meant to trap her and Sasuke in. An idea forming, she shuffled back to her companion's side.

"Sasuke, you watch Haku," she said, tightening the glove on her right hand. "I'm gonna break down these mirrors."

He gave a curt nod, sliding into a crouch as his unblinking gaze focused on the area their opponent had landed in. Sakura sent a small influx a chakra to her fist and, with a vicious punch, shattered the mirror beside the one that was already missing. It was when she was destroying her third and preparing to move onto the fourth that Sasuke's chakra spiked, and he had enough sense to remove himself from the rapidly-crumbling dome of ice slabs in order to meet Haku head-on again.

Haku appeared not five feet before, but his attention was on Sakura, and the agitation was almost palpable in his stance.

"Watch it, Haku," Zabuza ground out, glaring at Kakashi but not moving as he devised a way to get around him and kill Tazuna with as little trouble as possible.

Sakura spared their younger enemy a glance as she put her fist through the sixth mirror. Three more to go on this bottom level, then five slanted just above them, and finally one at the top — there had been fifteen in total.

She still didn't know what these were for, but she knew they'd be far better off if she just took them out, and so long as Haku didn't erect another one of these jutsu, Sasuke would probably be fine holding him off in the meantime. In an attempt to finish them off a little faster, Sakura slid her arms around one of the mirrors and tried to chuck it at the others — but that inkling didn't get very far, because her arm couldn't slid between it and the one next to it even though there was clearly enough space. They were held together by a net of chakra.

It was a good thing she'd punched Haku through one of those mirrors, because they wouldn't have had any other way of getting out.

The sharp ringing of metal against metal told her that one of the pairs of shinobi had finally engaged, but she didn't bother checking to see which. She just demolished another block. As she was preparing to shatter the last of the bottom nine, the hair on the back of her neck suddenly rose. Head jerking up, her eyes widened.

Haku materialized _within_ the ice crystal overhead, and, with a flick of his wrist, sent a rain of senbon down upon her. Cursing, Sakura flipped back, only to have him abruptly appear in a different mirror and fire another onslaught of needles.

So _that_ was what those were for.

Damn — that could've turned out really badly if they hadn't gotten out so quickly.

Whipping around, Sakura kicked off the ground and drew back her fist to punch through the back of the suspended mirror — one second, he was facing inward, and the next, her was facing _her_. He hadn't even turned around; it was like his front and back had changed places. His arm flashed out, and he caught her face with a handful of senbon before she broke through his mirror, but he only appeared in another one with even more senbon. It was as though he had an endless supply.

She noted, however, that his right arm was hanging limply by his side, and some small part of her grinned smugly.

Growling, Sakura ignored the shallow slices below her left eye and ducked his next dozen weapons, landing back on her feet in a crouch. The only mirror left at her level was about ten feet away; all the rest of them were above her, which put her at a disadvantage. Haku flickered from one to the next repeatedly, trying to confuse her — and then, he was suddenly in _all_ of them at once.

_Clones_, she realized with a frown. Five of them, plus his real body, unless he was hiding somewhere else.

"Move!"

Sakura instinctively dove for the ground, and a large fireball sailed directly through the space she'd been standing in not a second earlier. She watched it consume the ice crystals, a grin pulling at her lips.

"Good thinking," she commented, to which she could practically hear Sasuke's smirk as he leapt to stand beside her. He didn't look down at her as she climbed back up to her feet, but she got the feeling he was monitoring her condition anyway — probably checking to see how much she would aid him or slow him down.

She knew, because she'd have done the same.

"Not quite."

They both stilled when Haku's calm voice drifted out, and the flames died away.

There wasn't a single mark on the ice — it hadn't even melted _at all_.

Sasuke swore, and she felt like nodding in agreement. They were going to have to use brute force to take down those mirrors, and she'd already used a lot of chakra on the others. Only about half of her reserves were left, but Sasuke's were still nearly full, as he had yet to use nearly as many chakra-required techniques, not to mention that he had more chakra than her to begin with.

The six Haku's each threw at least a dozen needles, and just as Sakura was about to slide in front of Sasuke and spring the chakra shield on the piece of puppet arm _aniki_ had made for her to strap over her own arm, a wall of shuriken knocked them away. Haku, startled, looked through the backs of his mirrors for the culprit.

"ALRIGHT!"

Both Sasuke and Sakura let out exasperated sighs, realizing exactly who'd appeared. Kakashi nearly smacked a hand to his forehead; even though the kid had helped his teammates, a flashy entrance like that had cost him the element of surprise. Zabuza merely arched a non-existent eyebrow, leaning his palm on the hilt of his Executioner Blade.

Naruto stood in all his glory, both hands forming a separate tiger seal as he struck a pose, white smoke billowing all around him.

"Uzumaki Naruto is HERE!" He laughed loudly, grinning. "And now that the hero has arrived, this'll be a piece of cake!"

"Naruto," Sakura groaned, massaged her temple. "Giving yourself away that like…"

"That idiot…"

But despite the sheer recklessness of his appearance, it served its purpose. Zabuza and Haku paused, just staring at him for a moment as if to convince themselves that, yes, this _was_ really a ninja.

Then, as if trying to make clear how much the blond annoyed him, the self-proclaimed "Demon" of Kirigakure flicked a handful of shuriken at him, only to be blocked by senbon. Taken aback, all occupants of the bridge looked to Haku — well, _one_ of the Haku's.

"Haku, what is this?" Zabuza demanded flatly.

"Zabuza," he murmured quietly. "These kids — please let me fight them." His face had yet to turn away from Naruto, and Sakura couldn't help but wonder if her teammate had said something inspirational to Haku during their last encounter as he seemed to do so pretty often.

"So, you don't want me interfering?" Zabuza turned back to Kakashi. "You're as soft as always, Haku."

Sasuke wore an incredulous expression, and she couldn't blame him. Soft? Geez. She'd hate to see this guy pissed.

Naruto, obviously bored with all the talking, flung a kunai at one of the clones in the mirror. The masked shinobi just took it without flinching, and the throwing knife bounced right off the ice, to which Naruto twitched.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," he called, frowning at their opponent. "How are we supposed to hit this guy?"

Sasuke glared at the blond, thinking something along the lines of, _If you'd been here earlier, you'd know that._

"Wait for him to leave the mirror," she replied simply, flooding chakra to her fist, and her body tensed in anticipation. "Or do this!"

Sasuke negated the senbon directed at her with kunai as she hurtled forward and punched through the last mirror at ground level, ice exploding outward in tiny fragments. That left just five — four slanted above them, and one parallel to the ground suspended even higher.

"Nice, Sakura-chan!" Naruto hooted, throwing his own weapons to help Sasuke keep Haku's off of her.

"Finish destroying the mirrors," Sasuke instructed coolly, reaching for more kunai. "We'll cover you, and then we'll all get him once he's got nowhere left to run."

"I was planning on it," Sakura agreed, kicking off the ground to shoot straight through the one at the top.

Four left.

"Breaking my mirrors may be effective now," Haku susurrated, left hand forming half of that strange seal he'd made earlier. "But I can always make more."

"Dobe, move!"

Both males focused chakra to their feet and used it to propel them as high up as they could go, narrowly avoiding being encased in another dome of ice crystals. Then, before he could react, a mirror appeared in midair behind Sasuke.

_That's the real one!_ was all Naruto could think, and he chucked a kunai precisely as Haku leaned out of the mirror to stab Sasuke in the back of the neck with a senbon.

The kunai caught the edge of Haku's mask, throwing him off-balance, and the weapon fell through his fingers. Jerking around, Sasuke slammed his heel on the top of the boy's head in a strong axe kick. He was sent careening straight down at his newly-formed dome, and Sakura leapt up on the highest mirror, chakra blazing around her fist. The instant he fell within reach, she slammed her most powerful punch of the day directly into his masked face with a sharp cry of, "You're finished!"

A loud crack sounded — both his mask splitting down the middle and probably his nose breaking — and the impact shot Haku straight off the bridge like a rocket. His body rapidly disappeared into the mist, and a second later, there came the distinct crash of someone breaking through the surface of the water at high speeds.

"Whoa!" Naruto shrieked, grinning widely as he and Sasuke landed back on the bridge, Sakura joining them a bit more slowly. "Holy _crap_, Sakura-chan — I hope you never hit _me_ like that!"

She snorted, unable to contain the smile breaking out.

Zabuza faltered slightly. "Haku…" Then, he glowered at the lone female. "Not bad, kid," he hissed, veins straining in the hand he clenched around the hilt of his sword.

"You really shouldn't underestimate my team," Kakashi drawled, sliding his hands into his pockets deceptively lazily. "Sasuke, over there, is this year's top rookie, Sakura has the brightest mind in Konoha — and probably punches the hardest, too, and Naruto is our resident Number One, Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja." His eye crinkled as he beamed. "The situation doesn't look so good for you, Zabuza."

A growl rumbled in the missing-nin's throat, and Sakura belatedly realized that the two had yet to even start fighting.

Zabuza, apparently registering this as well, formed the tiger seal, and his Hidden Mist Jutsu abruptly surged in to screen him. Shrouded as they were, Sakura could no longer see Kakashi or Tazuna — only Sasuke and Naruto, who stood at her side.

"Great," the latter grumbled, shifting his weight restlessly as he hadn't gotten to do much. Fending off the samurai that had come for Tsunami and Inari hadn't been enough for him, and he'd still yet to find a good time to gloat to his teammates about it.

"We should probably get Tazuna out of there and guard him while Kakashi takes on Zabuza," Sasuke surmised, but it seemed as though he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to go through the trouble to do so.

"That'd be the smart thing to do," Sakura agreed, equally reluctant to interfere since they all knew that their teacher could hold his own.

Naruto frowned. "Then, why aren't we?"

Sasuke looked out in the direction of the edge of the bridge, even though it was hidden by the mist as well. "Haku might come back."

"What, seriously?" Naruto squinted, raising a hand to rest at his brow. "After that punch? Sakura-chan knocked him into next week."

She felt her ego flutter at the praise, but she forced herself to remain focused. "No doubt, I gave him a nasty concussion," she mumbled. "He may even be unconscious, but I wouldn't put it past him to still be in fighting condition despite that. He didn't strike me as someone who'd let himself give up."

Rather, the way he and Zabuza had spoken to one another indicated that Haku fought for the other man's sake.

And if her suspicions were correct in that those two were like herself and _aniki_, then he'd probably keep coming at them even if all of his limbs were torn off.

"Heh heh…the Sharingan again, huh?"

Sasuke grimaced as Zabuza's jeer echoed across the bridge. He still couldn't fathom how Kakashi had gotten that eye.

Because _surely_ he wasn't an Uchiha.

They all three tensed when they heard Kakashi grunt with an edge of pain.

"Haku won't be defeated that easily. I taught him everything he knows — and surely you've noticed his jutsu by now."

"That Ice Style — that's a Kekkei Genkai, isn't it?"

That would explain why she'd never seen those crystal mirrors and that hand seal before, Sakura mused.

And there they went — _talking_ again during a fight.

She wasn't sure what it was about these guys, but they apparently liked to hear their own voices. Or maybe that was just Zabuza. Either way, she thought it was high time to end this battle and move on.

"That eye won't work on me twice; I've already seen through it." There was a clash of metal. "The last time we met, I had Haku hiding in trees — watching how your Sharingan works."

A series of metal-on-metal clanks rang out, and Kakashi swore under his breath.

"Those eyes of yours are overrated — they're just a trick you use on your opponents to intimidate them."

A grunt.

"This is some pretty thick mist, Zabuza," their sensei taunted. "Sure you can find me?"

He chuckled darkly. "You forget my signature technique." The sound of a blade biting through flesh made the three genin exchange wary glances. "Tracking and killing an opponent based on sound, alone."

"That was crafty, Zabuza…bypassing me entirely and going after Tazuna…"

Sakura grimaced.

Maybe they _should_ have been protecting the bridge builder after all.

Oops.

"Too slow, Kakashi…I almost hacked you in half."

Then, Naruto shouted something unintelligible.

Twisting around, startled, Sakura could only watch as Haku appeared from seemingly nowhere and flung himself at Sasuke. The Uchiha's eyes widened, and Haku's face showed no mercy — his mask was gone, and his gaze was deathly cold.

He knew, then, that this guy was about to kill him.

Haku didn't hesitate at any as he swiped out at Sasuke's jugular with a fistful of senbon, not even registering his broken nose. He was beyond pain. He hadn't wanted to kill these three, but it was his only option now.

And he was more than ready to kill off his heart in order to do so.

Sasuke's muscles froze up.

He was going to die here.

He was going to die without ever having found his brother, nor gotten his revenge.

He was going to die without ever having redeemed his family's name.

He was going to _die_ —

Something in him screamed _no_, that _couldn't_ happen, that _he had something important to do, and it couldn't end here_ —

And, then, everything became clear.

Sasuke's body twisted with speed none of them had realized he possessed, and against all odds, he let out a screech of, "_Not yet!_" and slammed a kick into Haku's jaw.

As the ice-user staggered and crumpled to the ground, coughing up blood, Sasuke nearly stumbled back. Eyes wide, practically hyperventilating, the Uchiha stared down at the enemy he'd just grounded, hands shaking. Both Naruto and Sakura gaped at him, and Haku failed to push himself up again.

"Sasuke…," the blond whispered, disbelief crackling in the air like lightning. "…you…your eyes…"

Breath hitching, Sasuke could feel the chakra burning his optical nerves.

_The Sharingan._

Haku shifted once more, this time managing to push himself to his knees, and Naruto gasped loudly, jumping back.

"_You!_" he cried, jabbing a finger at him. "The guy from the forest!"

Sasuke and Sakura hadn't the slightest clue what he was talking about, so they remained on their toes.

"Yes…" Haku choked out another cough of blood, then lifted his head. "Naruto…please, kill me."

Sakura wasn't sure she could get much more surprised than this.

"Wh-…_what_? !" Naruto exclaimed, horrified. "I can't—"

"Many shinobi mistakenly believe," he interrupted softly, struggling to stand, "that leaving an enemy alive is merciful… But, don't you see? You've all defeated me, so I no longer have a reason to live…" He gave a broken, empty smile. "Because Zabuza has no use for a weak shinobi like me."

Sakura felt for him — she really did.

He was exactly like her.

He was crushed because he hadn't been able to protect Zabuza by beating them, so his purpose was now invalid. And Sakura knew she'd have done the same thing.

"How can you waste all that devotion on such a creep? !" Naruto yelled, enraged. "He's a horrible person, and he doesn't care about you at all!"

Haku merely smiled, and then wove that saddest tale Sakura had ever heard.

Yes, he was _exactly_ like her.

He'd been orphaned, and Zabuza had picked him up, taught him everything he knew, gave him a reason to live.

And now, it was gone.

"Surely you can understand…so, please… You'll have to bloody your hands — I'm sorry for that…"

Naruto grit his teeth, pain and indecision flitting across his face. "Is that…is that really the only way? Is there no other choice?"

Haku didn't hesitate. "Yes."

"Then, I…" Naruto dropped his head. "I…" He gave a forced laugh. "In another life…really…I think you and I could've been friends."

Haku looked surprised, then grateful. "Thank you, Naruto."

When the blond paused before running forward with a kunai, Sakura knew he wouldn't be able to do it. She didn't know why, but she couldn't let him lose that sunny disposition so early in life — and she knew she could give Haku what he wanted.

She stepped out in front of her teammate, halting him.

"S-sakura—"

"It's okay, Naruto," she murmured, smiling back at him over her shoulder, even though it didn't reach her eyes. "You don't have to do this."

Haku attempted to protest, but when Sakura turned to him, his eye widened.

He understood.

Sakura gave him the barest of nods, then walked to him, a chakra scalpel burning to life in her hand.

"You did good, Haku," she whispered, smiling for real that time.

Tears sprang to his eyes, and he smiled back. "Good luck," he susurrated just as quietly.

She brought her hand up and made to swipe across his throat — but, then, he caught her wrist, shock blooming over his expression.

"Wait…I have one last thing to do…"

And he disappeared.

.

"Give it up, Kakashi," Zabuza sneered, eyes closed as he concentrated on tracking the Copy-nin by sound. "Your Sharingan is nothing in this mist; you've got no clue where I am, but I know _exactly_ where you are."

Kakashi said nothing, instead pulling a scroll from one of his jonin vest's pouches. He unraveled it, smeared it with blood from the wound on his chest, then rolled in back up and flew through a series of hand seals. Mentally apologizing for damaging Tazuna's bridge, he slammed the scroll down.

One of Zabuza's eyes opened at the sudden flare of chakra, and he let out a startled, "What?" as the ground (or, rather, bridge) before him broke open. Before he could move, a pack of inu-nin wearing Konoha hitai-ate burst through and sank their teeth into his limbs, holding him in place. He struggled to free himself, but they only clamped down harder.

"Being unable to see you," Kakashi announced rather matter-of-factly as the mist cleared, Zabuza's jutsu undone, "means nothing when I can _smell_ you." He approached the trapped ex-Kiri-nin slowly, giving his body a moment to wind down from the adrenalin. "This summons is perfect for tracking, and your weapons are soaked with the scent of my blood."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "You purposefully let me injure you?"

"Precisely."

Kakashi completed another set of hand signs, then gripped his forearm. Zabuza could only watch as chakra pooled in his hand, then began crackling and convulsing like lightning. _Literally._

"You're far too dangerous to leave alive, Zabuza," he bit out. "Tazuna and the bridge will save the Land of Waves from Gatô's clutches, and you're standing in the way of that. Your bloodlust and greed for money is what led you to accept this mission from Gatô." Kakashi shifted his feet into a wider stance. "And I'll make sure it's the last assignment you ever take.

"This is a jutsu of my own creation: _Chidori_!"

Without blinking an eye, he surged forward and thrust out his palm.

He never saw the ice mirror until it was too late.

His lightning-encased hand exploded straight through the man's chest, warn blood splattering in all directions.

Except it wasn't Zabuza's chest — it was Haku's.

The dog-nin disappeared, senbon having pierced their summoning scroll, and Kakashi was left staring in shock at the young boy he had just killed. Haku's arm gripped his own tightly, and his brown eyes were devoid of life. Even Zabuza couldn't help but stand there, shocked beyond all belief.

But, then, a wall came down in his expression. "Great job, Haku," he growled, reaching back for his Executioner Blade. "Giving me this last chance — I really picked up something useful that day, didn't I?"

Swearing when he couldn't pry his arm loose from Haku's chest, Kakashi scooped him up and leapt away as Zabuza attempted to cut straight through them both. Finally, the mist dispersed between genin and sensei, and Sakura grimaced at the scene.

Haku was dead — but at least he'd died protecting his precious person.

She couldn't help but wish that, the day she eventually passed, it would be in the same manner, because she would have literally spent her entire life protecting _aniki_.

And that was when Kakashi got serious. No more playing around.

Because that boy had just sacrificed his life for essentially nothing.

Every time Zabuza ran at him with an attack, no matter from what angle, Kakashi just batted him away with a kick to the abdomen or a swat to the face. Frustrated, the missing-nin snarled. Taking a kunai in each hand, Kakashi ducked under Zabuza's sword and stabbed the knives through each of his shoulders. A noise of pain ripped from his throat, and he dropped the sword, arms hanging limply at his sides.

"Look at you, Zabuza — you're being beat into the ground. How disappointing."

Immediately, the shinobi tensed.

As the last traces of mist disappeared completely, a short man with a cane became visible, standing before a small army of hired samurai and various men with weapons.

"Gatô," Zabuza acknowledged coldly. "What are you doing here? And what's with all of these men?"

It was kind of a let-down; they'd heard so much about this guy, and yet he was clearly a small fry.

He chuckled. "Sorry, Zabuza; I guess I forgot to tell you this part of the plan." A wide, crooked grin stretched across his face, sunglasses glinting. "From the beginning, I never intended to pay you. You'll be dying right here on this bridge."

Zabuza growled.

"Hiring shinobi from a village is too expensive, and I couldn't be sure that they wouldn't turn on me," he explained with a sneer. "_You_, however, as a missing-nin, are substantially cheaper and easier to get rid of once the dirty work is done. And now that you've both weakened these people and yourself… Well. I think you can see where this is going."

"Kakashi," Zabuza spoke up blandly. "This fight is over. I no longer have any reason to fight you."

The Copy-nin nodded grimly, eyes on Gatô. Sakura sighed in irritation, wondering if this could possibly get any more complicated.

Then, Gatô spotted Haku's body. "Oh, by the way," he mocked, walking up to him calmly. "You broke my arm, you little brat." He smiled cruelly. "And now you're dead — serves you right." He accentuated this with a sharp kick to Haku's head.

"HEY!" Naruto shrieked, leaping forward, only to be caught by the back of his jumpsuit by Kakashi. "You get your grimy paws _away_ from him!"

Sakura stiffened as fury coursed through her, unable to keep her temper under control.

"How _dare_ you? !" she hissed, taking a menacing step forward. "He devoted his _life_ to Zabuza, and he _died_ to protect him — how _dare_ you desecrate his body like that!"

Gatô was unaffected. "Quiet, little girl, and let the adults talk."

Oh, how she wished she could put a fist through his fat face. "You've got some nerve!" Her voice nearly cracked. "It doesn't matter what Haku's done — because he did it to protect someone precious, and that makes him _ten_ times the person you'll _ever_ be!"

The man glared at her, and Naruto turned on Zabuza, clearly of the same mindset.

"And what about _you_, huh? !" he yelled, clenching his fists. "Haku gave up _everything_ for you! So, why don't you say something? !"

"Shut up, kid," Zabuza grunted, tone uncaring. "I used Haku and was then used by Gatô. That's it. Shinobi are merely tools that use or get used."

He gritted his teeth. "Do you really mean that?" he half-whispered before breaking out into screams again, jabbing a finger at Haku's body. "He loved you! He gave up his _dreams_ for you! How can you feel nothing? !" His eyes filled with tears. "You're _horrible_! I don't care if we're not fighting you anymore, _because you're still my enemy for that_! Because Haku…" He sobbed. "…because dying like that…is just too sad…"

"Kid…just shut up…"

To their astonishment, even Zabuza was crying, now.

Sakura just stared at him, feeling her heart skip a beat.

Maybe Haku hadn't lost after all — because if Zabuza cared for him, then that had to count for something, right?

"Haku…he didn't want to fight you." Zabuza bit through the bandages covering his mouth. "He was always too kind." His eyes flashed. "Kid. Let me borrow your kunai."

With a slightly confused look, Naruto tossed him one, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Zabuza caught it in his teeth, then turned a truly horrifying look on Gatô. As if realizing his intent, the man turned with a squeal for his men to attack and hightailed it. Zabuza just hurtled after him straight through the crowd of enemies, ignoring every weapon they stabbed in his back, and cornered him at the edge of the bridge. He bashed his head into the man's stomach, sinking the kunai deep into his skin. Gatô stumbled back to the edge, wincing.

"Just _die_!" he cried, fear exuding from his every pore. "If you really want to be reunited with your friend so badly, then go _alone_!"

Zabuza chuckled, already feeling himself beginning to face. "Sorry, but I won't be joining Haku." He fixed the crime lord with a harsh grin. "Because I'm bring you with me _to Hell_!"

With a jerk of his neck, the kunai slashed across Gatô's throat, and the man's head was sent flying. When it landed in a pool of blood, his hired men flinched, and when Zabuza turned his gaze on them, they cringed even further.

Then, the kunai dropped from his mouth, and Zabuza fell face first onto the bridge.

All was silent for a very long while.

When Gatô's men finally worked up the nerve to speak, it was only to call, "You killed our meal ticket!"

"Damn ninja!"

"Looks like we'll just have to pillage this village for food and anything of value!"

But they were stopped in their tracks by a spear impaling itself within the bridge before them. Glancing back in surprise, they found a hoard of villagers armed to the teeth guarding the end of the bridge — and none of them looked very happy.

"Come and try it!" Inari yelled back, clutching a crossbow and wearing a helmet. "If you wanna touch our village, you'll have to get through all of us!"

"Inari? !" Naruto gaped at him.

The kid grinned. "The hero shows up at the last minute, right?"

The rouges hesitated, but it looked as though they were still intending to attack.

"Alright!" Naruto made a familiar hand seal. "Take this, then!"

A handful of clones appeared around him, and Kakashi, taking a leaf from his book, made at least triple that. They paused again. Sakura casually approached her sensei and bent down to the large chunk of concrete his dog-nin had accidentally knocked lose when they'd been summoned; she picked it up over her head with one hand, and many of the rouges paled. Naruto grinned.

"YOU WANT SOME OF THIS? !"

With hasty shouts of, "Never mind!" and "Run!" they all legged it.

The villagers erupted into cheers, and the clones disappeared. Sakura put the slab of concrete back where she'd found it, glancing over at Haku. Per Zabuza's last request, Kakashi placed him beside the boy, and they all watched as he whispered something to him.

Zabuza died beside Haku.

For the longest time, Sakura gazed at them with an unreadable expression. She didn't even notice when Kakashi started handing out congratulations to his team.

These two had made an impression on her that she would never forget. She felt happy for them, because deep down, she hoped she and _aniki_ could be like that.

Because if someone like Zabuza could find it in his heart to care for another person, then surely _aniki_ could do it, too.

.

.

.

It was good to get back into her routine. Two weeks after that mission, Sakura felt as though she'd finally turned a page in her life. She was already getting stronger — she could tell, because the training regimen she'd been holding up wasn't leaving her as exhausted as it had been.

And the thought that she was getting somewhere, now, relieved her to no end.

A new breeze was blowing in.

They'd been limited to D-Rank missions after that, but it was okay for now — her satisfaction at taking a large step forward overrode any irritation she might've otherwise felt.

When Sasuke walked off after they completed yet another weed-picking assignment and an academy student showed up with his friends, demanding that Naruto "play ninja" with him, Sakura just arched an eyebrow.

Well, it wasn't every day that you saw a ninja try to play ninja.

As if realizing that she was still there, Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and introduced, "Er, Sakura-chan, this is Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi. Guys, this is Sakura-chan."

She nodded to them, wondering how on earth Naruto had managed to befriend a group of eight-year-olds.

"Hey, boss," Konohamaru mumbled, looking her up and down speculatively. "Is this chick…" He held up a pinky, grinning. "…you _knooow_?"

Naruto blushed ten shades of red, and Sakura's eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

"Uh, well—"

"A miniature you, huh?" she grunted, hands on her hips as she bent over to look the kid in the face. "I suppose you use perverted ninjutsu and plan on becoming Hokage, too, right?"

He beamed. "You got it!"

Sakura shot her teammate a flat look. "Corrupting children. Shame on you."

But her tone held no venom, so Naruto laughed, flushed.

"So, pretty lady?" Konohamaru urged. "Are you?"

She blinked at him. "Am I what, exactly?"

He held up his pinky and waggled his eyebrows, to which Naruto sputtered.

Sakura snorted. "No. He just happens to be my best friend."

Naruto broke out into his signature thousand-watt-smile, folding his arms behind his head. "You got that right!"

"Oh. Cool." Konohamaru turned on his heel and stuck his tongue out at the blond. "Come on, boss, use your ninja moves to catch me — _if you can_!"

Twitching at the insult, Naruto proceeded to chase him all the way down the street, shouting about how he was an amazing ninja and that Konohamaru would be sorry when he caught him. Sakura followed more slowly with Udon and Moegi, knowing as though by a sixth sense that something was about to go wrong, so she might as well be there to patch him up afterwards.

Right on the mark, Konohamaru ran straight into two genin not much older than them — except their hitai-ate marked them as Suna-nin. Sakura's eyes narrowed. This wouldn't end well.

"Sorry—"

Konohamaru's apology was cut off as the male of the two seized him by the front of his shirt.

"That hurt, brat," he said matter-of-factly, purple face paint twisting as he smiled falsely.

"Cut it out," the girl at his side mumbled, "or we're gonna get it." Her four blond ponytails swayed in the slight wind.

"Hey!" Naruto growled. "Put him down, you big ape!"

Sakura took one look at the large, body-sized thing strapped to the guy's back and the way he twitched his fingers as Naruto jumped at him, and she knew both what he was and exactly what he was going to do. Her arm flashed out, and she snatched the back of Naruto's obnoxious jumpsuit, eyes trained unblinkingly on the unnamed Suna-nin as she dragged him behind her.

As if she'd let someone pull her own jutsu on her closest friend.

The guy jerked his head around to stare at her, lips thinning. He couldn't tell if she'd seen through his jutsu, or if grabbing her companion at that moment had been pure luck. When she was sure Naruto wasn't going to move, Sakura flash-stepped forward, making to punch the stranger in the face.

He shuffled back in surprise to block it, and at the last second, Sakura twisted around, grabbing Konohamaru, and slid back over to her proverbial side of the street. The Suna-nin eyed her warily, but his female sidekick (teammate?) grabbed his arm.

"Enough, Kankuro," she said sharply. "Gaara's already going to be mad…"

"What are you people doing in our village?"

They all looked up, and there sat Sasuke in a tree, tossing a clod of dirt and catching it repeatedly before crushing it in his hand.

"Oh, look," the one called Kankuro deadpanned. "Another one."

When Sasuke replied merely with, "Get lost," he slid the bandaged form off his back.

"Come down, little squirrel. I've had just about enough of you Konoha losers."

"What are you doing?" the girl hissed. "Using Karasu at a time like this!"

"Oh, come off it, Temari!"

_Crow, huh?_ Sakura thought, tensing. _Let's see how good of a puppet master he is._

"You're an embarrassment to our village."

She froze. Where the hell had _he_ come from?

She turned to see a red-haired Suna-nin in the same tree Sasuke was in, feet sticking to the bottom of a branch with chakra. Sasuke, too, flinched back, eyes widening before he could get a grip on his expression.

Not a single one of them had sensed his presence, nor his appearance.

Kankuro faltered visibly. "Er…hey…Gaara…"

The red-head's cold look didn't waver.

"Losing control in a quarrel with children. Have you forgotten why we've come here?"

This guy was clearly the head honcho of the team, Sakura mused, studying him carefully. A large gourd rested on his back, but he gave no indication of it weighing him down, even as he stood upside down. He'd materialized out of nowhere, and his teammates were scared shitless of him.

He wasn't someone to take lightly.

"But, Gaara…they started it…"

Gaara didn't even blink. "Shut up. Or I'll kill you."

Kankuro shuddered. "You're right — I was completely out of line!"

"We're sorry, okay, Gaara?" Temari added quickly. "Really sorry!"

Gaara promptly disappeared and reappeared between the two of them. "We have no time to be fooling around."

"It won't happen again — I swear," Kankuro mumbled, almost holding his breath.

"Let's go." The other two immediately turned to follow Gaara, only to be stopped by Naruto shout.

"Hey, wait!"

They looked back over their shoulders, and Temari absently wondered if he had a death wish.

"What the heck are you guys doing here, huh?" he demanded, jabbing an accusing finger at them. "You're not from Konoha, right?"

"They're from Suna," Sakura supplied.

"We're here for the Chunin Exams, punk," Kankuro retorted. "_Obviously_."

"_Obviously_ my ass! If you're here for some test, then why'd you try to pick a fight? !"

Kankuro didn't reply, probably because Gaara was there.

"Who are you?" Sasuke inquired, leaving the tree to stand beside his teammates. Sakura wondered vaguely why he'd been up there, since it'd looked as though he'd been going home.

Temari blinked, flushing. "Who, me?"

"The one beside you."

"Gaara of the Desert," the indicated genin stated bluntly, then threw in ironically, "at your service." He gave no other reaction. "And you?"

He smirked. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto waved his arms about indignantly, then gave a thumbs up and grinned. "Hey, wanna know _my_ name? !"

Gaara turned abruptly and began walking away. "Not interested."

Kankuro eyed Sakura, thinking briefly of asking her name as well, but he figured Gaara wouldn't take too well to being kept waiting.

.

.

.

Later that same day, after they'd been waiting for hours at "their" bridge, Kakashi appeared with a cheery, "Morning, guys! I'm afraid I got lost on the road of life…"

"LIAR!"

Kakashi sighed, approaching them casually. "Well, this may come as a bit of a surprise, but I've recommended you all for the Chunin Exams." He beamed.

Naruto was severely unimpressed. "Yeah, right, Kakashi-sensei. Like you could fool us with that."

When he handed out the applications, however and instructed them on how to fill them out, the blond's tune changed in a heartbeat.

"AWESOME, Kakashi-sensei!" he howled, almost tackling him. "You're the best!"

Sakura watched their teacher struggle to pry him off for a moment, before sighing and glancing down at her application. When the date caught her eye, she frowned in irritation.

It was tomorrow.

Trust him to give them the forms late.

Well, time for some extra training sessions.

* * *

_As another page turns and your progress shows,_

_Nearer your chance to shine grows,_

_Because your time is coming, you surely know._


	11. Ascension

I'm terribly sorry about the wait! I know it's been months since the last update, but I've got two reasons:

One, college is kicking my ass. I have very little, if any, free time. Just throwing that out there.

Two, this chapter is over twice as long as my usual ones.

I got a lot covered in this chapter, but there's still a little bit more to go before Sasori shows up. He'll either make his appearance in the chapter after next (highly likely), or the one after that (less likely). It just depends on things like chapter length and sufficient endings. But I'm almost positive that it'll be the chapter after the next one.

Anywho, I hope you all like this. :)

Please read and review!

* * *

**Ascension**

* * *

Sakura got up almost the exact moment her clock struck five.

"_Lesson One. Shinobi never sleep in past five."_

She almost smiled. Almost.

Team Seven had agreed to meet up at "their" bridge at noon, so she had seven hours to spare — but, she wouldn't use this time to train; the proceedings of the Chunin Exams were very hush-hush, so for all she knew, they would be walking straight into an ambush. And if that was the case, she _really_ didn't need to be exhausted from a fresh round of training. Besides, her extra-long training session the night before had been immensely satisfying.

Her seven hours were spent running through katas, sharpening weapons, testing her arm-guard-slash-puppet-arm-gauntlet for kinks, and finding more places to hide the aforementioned weapons (and some vials of poisons she'd cooked up herself) amongst her attire. She briefly entertained the idea of changing her usual combination of clothing.

But ultimately decided against it. She'd grown used to it.

A long red top with a short right sleeve — which was off-the-shoulder — and a long left sleeve — which nearly hugged the side of her neck — over a black tank top. An unattached fishnet sleeve covering the remainder of her right arm. A black, white, and tan striped obi-like belt (that didn't actually have a bow in the back like a _real _obi) around her waist. White spandex shorts. Knee-length black boots. A kunai pouch on her right hip and her hitai-ate tied around her left. A band of weights on both of her upper arms, hidden by the sleeves of her red top. Half of a puppet limb strapped to her left forearm, also hidden by a sleeve.

She'd been donning this outfit since the day she became a genin. It almost seemed a shame to change it now, especially seeing as she had half a dozen of these shirts and shorts. Perhaps she'd find something new _after_ she graduated to chunin? (Assuming she passed this exam, of course.)

A sudden, sharp tap came at her bedroom window, and she identified it as a pebble being thrown at the glass. Frowning, Sakura set down the kunai she'd been dragging across her admittedly worn whetstone and slid the victimized window open. Sasuke stood down in the street, hands jammed in his pockets. He looked up at her with an unreadable expression.

"We need to talk."

Sakura arched a skeptical eyebrow.

"Nice try, Iruka-sensei, but genjutsu won't work on me."

'Sasuke' grimaced. "What are you talking about?"

Raising both eyebrows pointedly, Sakura formed a seal to release the genjutsu, and the illusion of her teammate disappeared. Iruka, having transformed into a shady-looking shinobi from some random village, sighed on the roof.

_Well, maybe Kakashi was right — maybe his team _is_ ready for the Chunin Exams; after all, Sasuke caught on pretty quickly, too… But surely not Naruto. No — he was my student; I _know_ his limits. He's not ready._

So, with a nod, Iruka set off to test the third member of Team Seven, unaware that he would soon be proven wrong by Konoha's Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja. Sakura simply drew back into her apartment, shaking her head and wondering vaguely if becoming a chunin would make her lose her mind as quickly as Iruka seemed to be.

.

In the end, she decided to strap an extra tan pouch around her waist to settle just above her left buttock, which she then filled with two Wind-Style ninjutsu scrolls, extra weapons and medical items, a bottle of water, and a bottle of soldier pills. (Technically, genin weren't supposed to have soldier pills, but "aniki" had…_accumulated_ boxes upon boxes of the little bottles for her to use whenever she saw fit.)

A brisk pace over the rooftops brought her to the small bridge her team had claimed at precisely 6:59, but the only one there was Sasuke — big surprise. Nodding to him in greeting, she leaned back against the rail and resigned herself to waiting in silence. The deadline for turning in Chunin Exam applications wasn't until four o'clock, but they'd agreed to get a head start just in case; if she knew Naruto half as well as she thought she did, however, he was so busy training in preparation that he'd probably forgotten what he was training _for_. Or he figured he had plenty of time until the deadline.

When two hours passed without sign of him, Sakura knew that one of her predictions was most likely right, and from the look on Sasuke's face, he'd already come to the same conclusions.

"That idiot," he growled under his breath, breaking the silence for the first time.

"If he doesn't show up by three, we need to go get him."

He glanced in her direction. "Do you know where he lives?"

At her nod, he seemed a little less tense — making plans was reassuring. He was good with plans.

"Three, then."

Silence reigned. Ten o'clock came and passed, and by ten-thirty, Sakura was triple checking her weapons supply. Eleven proved no different, along with noon. Once one rolled around, Sakura had run out of things to keep herself occupied with.

She broke down and spoke to him; all the recent exposure to her nosy teammates had gotten her used to their company.

"It's past one," she stated dully, squinting at the sun. "Maybe even closer to one-twenty."

Sasuke simply grunted, leaning back against the far hand rail.

"We've got a little over an hour and a half before we need to hunt down that human garbage disposal."

"Aa."

She frowned down at the concrete beneath her boots, attempting to decipher shapes from the cracks and varies in texture. "I don't feel like waiting until three."

Sasuke pushed off the hand rail. "Let's go, then."

Striding forward to take the lead, Sakura mumbled more to herself than him, "He'd better be awake."

At that time of day, the streets were bustling but not too crowded. The open-air stalls were experiencing their busiest hour, what with most people on lunch break and some even just getting off from work — the civilians, that is. A fruit stand caught her eye, and she made a mental note to buy a peach or two the next time she had a chance; she'd been craving them for days.

"Ah, Uchiha-san! Good afternoon!"

Surprised, Sakura peered over her shoulder to see a produce vendor in his mid-forties waving to Sasuke. Her teammate gave a short greeting in return.

"I have a few tomatoes left over from the morning sale," the man called, smiling and holding up one of the aforementioned foodstuffs. "Would you like a few?"

Barely a minute later, Sasuke was following her through the streets with no less than six tomatoes in his hands. Sakura cast him a sideways glance.

"Frequent customer?"

He gave one of his usual grunts by way of reply.

They took a left onto one of the larger side roads. "Just out of curiosity, do you have anywhere to put those tomatoes, or are you going to carry them in with you to the exam? Or maybe eat all of them along the way?"

"Detouring home," he answered in a clipped tone. He paused before turning down another street. "Is his place near here?"

"The apartment building just down there," Sakura said, pointing to one decorated with a fresh coat of tan paint. "I'll wait by the door for you; I've got this strange feeling that if we're gonna have to drag Naruto out of bed, you'll want to be there to dump ice water on his face or something equally satisfying."

He snorted, lips quirking in the beginnings of a smirk. "Ten minutes."

As Sakura continued down the road to a place she knew almost as well as her own home, she admired the way Sasuke could cut out three-fourths of every sentence and still leave enough to get his point across. It took a lot of skill in the antisocial department to pull that off. Sitting down on one of the stone benches by the apartment, she closed her eyes and allowed herself for the first time in months to float back to those days with _aniki_ she missed the most.

.

.

.

The first stage of the Chunin Exams was due to take place on the third floor of the Academy in room 301. Walking down the stone path to the building with her teammates on either side of her, Sakura wasn't sure how she felt. Most genin would be excited or nervous to tackle this latest step — Naruto, for example, was of the former group; then, there were those like Sasuke who were so confident in their abilities that they just _knew_ they wouldn't fail. Sakura fell somewhere beyond each of these circles.

Sure, she was pumped to fight people from other villages — as well as some from Konoha — but the exam itself? That was where her feelings started to get a little blurry.

Unlike the usual breed of shinobi, she didn't care if she made chunin or not; that just wasn't what she was there for. It didn't matter if she remained a genin for the rest of her life so long as she became strong enough to fulfill her goal.

"Alright!" Naruto cheered, rushing ahead the last few feet to throw the front doors open. "Let's do this!"

"Don't wear yourself down," Sakura called, halting him before he could speed toward the stairwell. "Even _your_ stamina is going to run out at some point."

"Come on!" he huffed, waving his arms about to accentuate his impatience. "Why are you guys moving so slowly? ! This is the _Chunin Exams_!"

Sighing under her breath, she said no more. Explaining to him that she didn't give a crap about passing or failing would probably give him an ulcer, what with how fired up he was.

Her eyes scanned the front room, taking in all the familiar sights from her academy days. A large concrete statue of a flame, engraved with some philosophical quote about the life of a shinobi and his/her duty to his/her village, stood against the far wall, towering over everything at an impressive eleven feet tall. (The twelve-foot ceilings, while unnecessary in Sakura's opinion, had been added on every floor because a "higher classroom encouraged higher learning.") Twenty feet away on either side of the red-and-off-white sculpture sat hallways leading to classrooms for younger students — the six- and seven-year-olds; the eight-to-nine-year-olds had floor two, and all those older had floor three. At the far ends of the room were identical stairwells.

It was strange how much smaller everything looked.

"Come on, come on, come _on_!" Naruto howled, squirming in place by the right stairwell.

"There's still half an hour before the test begins," Sasuke muttered. "Quit being annoying."

"Yeah? ! Well, _you_ quit being a — a — ARGH! QUIT BEING A TEME!"

"Dobe."

_Fitting,_ Sakura thought flatly, _that Naruto's back in the Academy right now._

While their boisterous teammate took the stairs three at a time, she and Sasuke walked at a more sedate pace. As they passed the door to the second floor, Sasuke suddenly stopped. Pausing to glance back at him, the aforementioned door caught her eye. She frowned.

"Hey," she mumbled, "that—"

"Yeah," Sasuke answered in a clipped tone, sharp gaze narrowed at the same spot — where there sat a door that didn't exist. Naruto, oblivious, was already waiting by the next door above them.

"What's a genjutsu doing on the stairwell?"

"Clearly they want us to go to the second floor instead of the third," the Uchiha remarked, turning to continue up the stairs.

"Should we?"

He gave the slightest of nods. "They went through the trouble of setting it up. Might as well."

"Might as well, what?" Naruto demanded, blond eyebrows furrowed.

Sakura just shook her head. Shrugging, he led the way onto the "third" floor.

In her periphery vision, she noticed Sasuke looking around for traps and other genjutsu as they followed the hallway around a corner. Naruto halted without warning, and she nearly ran into him.

Further down the hall, two guys that looked to be fourteen or fifteen were guarding a classroom door that a sign identified to be Room 301 from no less than twenty genin. As they watched, one of the two — a guy with wild, navy-colored hair — punched a brunette girl with enough force to knock her back on her rear next to a guy with a black bowl cut.

"That's just cruel…," someone in the group commented.

"What'd you say?" the attacker called. "You misunderstand! We're just trying to spare you."

"The Chunin Exam is incredibly difficult," his brown-haired companion agreed. "And we should know — we've failed three times so far. There are people who made it, then immediately gave up being shinobi…others who ended up crippled…some reduced to vegetables… We've all seen it!" His smirk wasn't fitting for someone talking about fallen comrades.

"Besides that," the first one continued, "chunin are cell commanders; they lead their units. The responsibilities for failed missions and dead shinobi rest firmly on their shoulders." His eyebrows raised. "And you little punks have the nerve to apply?" He snorted, making the fallen girl grimace with what might have been shame. "We're saving a step by weeding out the obvious losers beforehand."

_Oh, _I_ see what's going on here._ Sakura fell into step with Sasuke, Naruto just behind her, as he strolled forward to inject himself into the situation.

"As nice as that sounds in theory," he spoke up with a sneer, "you might do better by strengthening your genjutsu. It's pathetic."

"We figured we'd stop by since you tried so hard," Sakura added nonchalantly. "Clearly, there's not much to see, though, so we'll just be on our way to the _third_ floor."

"Yeah," Naruto concurred, nodding vigorously even though he had no clue what was going on.

"The _third_ floor?" someone echoed.

"What are they talking about?"

"This _is_ the third floor!"

The one with brown hair laughed. "So you figured it out, did you?"

His partner smirked. "Not bad," he admitted. "But seeing through that illusion isn't nearly enough—!"

Before he even finished his sentence, he was already striking out with his foot to catch the side of Sasuke's face, Sasuke mirroring him perfectly. At the last possible second, another genin appeared between them, stopping each of their kicks with his bare hands.

The one with the black bowl cut who'd been sprawled out on the floor not a minute earlier.

Sakura stiffened, preparing to aid her teammate. The guy was fast — too fast.

If it dissolved into a fight, it probably wouldn't end well.

Sasuke staggered back, teeth gritted. But, as it turned out, there was no need for alarm. Bowl Cut simply sighed in relief and brushed himself off. Another genin with long brown hair and piercingly-white eyes approached him with a frown, the girl with buns at his side.

"That wasn't what we agreed on," he chided. "You're the one that said we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."

"I know, but…" Bowl Cut glanced at Sakura, who arched an eyebrow.

The female, presumably his teammate, groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead. "Here we go again…"

Bowl Cut then proceeded to walk stiffly toward her, stopping barely a yard away. Sasuke, indignant at being ignored, stuffed his hands in his pockets. Naruto just watched on, scratching the back of his head.

"My name is Rock Lee," Bowl Cut said formally. "And you are Sakura-san, correct?"

All she could do was blink, wondering how in the world he knew her when she was sure she didn't know him. Damn. Perhaps she should've researched the other Konoha genin participating in this year's exams.

He gave a thumbs-up-and-wink combo, grin so bright it practically blinded all within range.

"Please be my girlfriend!" he proclaimed. "I will protect you with my life!"

Disbelief unlike any she'd ever experienced washed over her, and Sakura found that she could do no more than stand there like a fool for a long moment. She'd literally met him and learned his name just seconds before he (essentially) declared his love for her. What was she supposed to say to that?

She didn't know him. She'd never laid eyes upon him a day in her life before that exact moment.

How in the world was she supposed to tell him that she didn't return his feelings? Not once had she experienced an even remotely similar incident.

In fact, Sakura couldn't recall having ever been told that she was loved. By _anyone_.

Sure, maybe her parents had said it when she was too little to remember, but aside from that…

That was when the full novelty of the situation hit her.

Someone here in this very world, in this very village, cherished her existence beyond the simple friendly bond she shared with Naruto.

Someone was _glad_ she was alive.

Sakura realized right then and there that she _wanted_ this type of love — craved it, even —

But aniki came first. Aniki always came first.

Because more than anything in the entire world, she wanted _his_ approval.

And besides, she wasn't in love with this Rock Lee. She didn't believe in love at first sight, and she didn't feel any longing to be with him.

She was only happy that someone had finally made her feel as if she was worth something.

Her eyes trailed to his lifted hand, taking in the blood covering the bandages on his knuckles. His bruises, which had almost magically disappeared, flashed across her mind. The way he'd walked, as though he was sure of himself to the highest degree, spoke to her.

This wasn't someone who was born with talent and wealth and a genetically-engrained ego; this was someone who could lift his head up because he _knew_ he'd worked hard for it and pushed himself to the limit.

This was someone who she could relate to.

And suddenly, Sakura didn't want to hurt him.

"Hello, Lee-san," she greeted, face blooming into a rare, genuine smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine!" he assured her shamelessly, falling to one knee and grasping her hand, looking for all the world as if he'd just proposed. "You are truly a beautiful creature in the springtime of your youth! I am astounded by your brilliance!"

She tugged her hand back gently, giving the slightest shake of her head.

"Thank you for that," she murmured. "You're very kind, but I've only just met you."

"Ah, of course!" Lee shot up like a rocket, clasping both of his hands in front of his chest. "How silly of me! I have yet to prove my love to you! I meant you no offense — please allow me to exist in your life as an amiable companion until the time when which I may be able to fully express and demonstrate my commitment to you!" With each shout, his words had gradually raised in volume; by the end, a few genin were wincing (both at that _and_ his message).

"A friend, huh?" Sakura mused quietly, more to herself, before rewarding him with a small nod. "That'll make you my second ever."

Lee appeared positively scandalized. "How could a lovely flower such as yourself have previously existed with but a single friend? !"

She smiled wryly. "I tend to keep to myself."

"Very well!" The overenthusiastic ninja abruptly straightened up and whirled around to face his teammates. "I shall do my absolute best to prove my worthiness! Neji! Tenten! Come along, so that we may continue through these Chunin Exams with the full power of our youth!"

And he was off, neither noticing nor caring about anyone else — even Sasuke, whom he'd sized up barely five minutes previous. While Neji confronted Sasuke about who he was, Tenten turned to Sakura with a half-sympathetic half-appreciative grin.

"You've got no idea what kind of beast you've just set loose."

.

.

.

"What the…"

Sakura took in the room with both eyebrows raised. Dozens of genin from every country had gathered into one tiny classroom, all of them falling silent when her team entered, and none of them looking happy.

A beautiful start.

"Sasuke-kun!" Before any of them could so much as blink, Yamanaka Ino had slammed into Sasuke's back, her arms encircling his neck and her cheek pressed up against his. "Where've you been, cutie? You really know how to show up at the last minute, huh?"

Then, as if realizing that the rest of Team Seven was present, she grimaced at Naruto and Sakura.

"You two are free to leave, though. Really." She flicked her purple-painted nails in a shooing motion.

Sasuke, for his part, looked as if someone was force-feeding him the worst meal in history. Sakura snorted, and Naruto pulled a disgusted face; he couldn't see what it was that basically every girl in the entire village saw in his broody asshole of a teammate.

"Ino, quit being troublesome," a genin with brown hair pulled up into a messy ponytail grumbled, hands in his pockets. He sighed. "Man, this is such a drag."

"Well, if it isn't the Three Stooges," Naruto laughed, earning a disgruntled glare from Ino's teammate. "The Sasuke Fool, the Lazy Fool, and the Fa—"

The aforementioned "Lazy Fool" slapped a hand over Naruto's mouth, shooting his admittedly overweight companion an uneasy glance. He'd come dangerously close to saying the forbidden word.

"Geez, Shikamaru, chill," the blond grouched, yanking back from him. "I wasn't gonna—"

Before he could finish his statement, a loud and obnoxious voice rang out, "Looks like the gang's all here!"

And up walked Team Eight, the last of the three Konoha rookie genin cells. Naruto glared at the speaker, a hooded brunette with a puppy perched on his head.

"Including _you_, unfortunately," Shikamaru muttered.

"Ugh, it's _Kiba_…"

"I'm surprised you guys showed up," Kiba taunted, ignoring the jabs sent his direction. "What with all the training we've had, there's no _way_ you guys can beat us!"

"Oh, shut up!" Naruto exploded, pointing at him rudely. "Like you could _ever_ stand a chance against _me_!"

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," the girl at Kiba's side stuttered, unable to meet his eyes. "K-Kiba-kun didn't mean that the w-way it sounded…"

"What're you talking about, Hinata? I meant it _exactly_ how it sounded!"

Sakura, having grown bored with the conversation (if it could even be called that), was the first to notice the older silver-haired genin that approached them.

"Would you guys do us all a favor and shut it over there?" he demanded, tone light as if he only partially meant it. "You three gangs of would-be hotshots are still wet behind the ears. This isn't some school field trip, you know."

"Who the heck do you think you are?" Ino growled, sliding off of Sasuke reluctantly.

"Me?" He smirked, adjusting his glasses. "Yakushi Kabuto." Shifting his weight to one foot, he crossed his arms. "You guys need to open your eyes and take a good look around." As the rookie genin did just that, he nodded to a group not far away from them. "That Amegakure bunch over there have pretty short fuses; I'd watch it, if I were. And that Kusagakure lot is ready to snap." His smirked widened. "You've got a lot to learn about when to keep your heads down and who not to piss off. But, then again, it's probably unavoidable; like all rookies, you think you know everything. I remember what that was like."

"Meaning you've already failed this exam at least once," Sakura concluded, meeting his gaze flatly.

"More than once," he agreed good-naturedly. "This is my seventh time applying."

"Whoa!" Naruto beamed at him. "So you've got experience, right? ! You could help us out!"

"You're forgetting that he failed six times in a row," his female teammate deadpanned. "Experience or not, he clearly hasn't grasped how to pass the exam yet."

Kabuto smiled tightly, looking both amused and irked. "Cute," he bit out. "But I _do_ have experience nonetheless, and you just might need my assistance if you want to do well." He slipped a deck of cards from his pocket. "The least I can do is give you some intelligence on what you're in for with these shinobi skill cards."

"Shinobi skill cards?" Kiba echoed, wrinkling his nose. "Never heard of 'em."

Kabuto drew a card and crouched down, placing it on the floor. "To put it simply, information is gathered about the skills we use, transformed into symbols, and burned into these cards using chakra. It took me four years to collect all the intelligence needed for this exam. In all, there are almost two hundred cards." He flipped it over, then tapped it with his middle finger. "They look blank, don't they? The only way you can read the data on the cards is by using my chakra to unlock them."

Forming the tiger seal with one hand, he poured chakra into the card until words and pictures spilled across its face. A world map formed, and small bars made of chakra rose from the surface over each country at different heights.

"What's the point of having a map on one of your cards?" Ino retorted. "Everyone knows where each country is; you learn that in the academy."

"Ah, but it's not just a map," he countered. "It shows how many genin have been sent from each country to this years' Chunin Exams. On top of that, I've got data on every country who sent said genin, though not so much on Otogakure; it's a pretty small and not-so-well respected nation at the moment."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Do you also have dossier cards for individual applicants?"

Kabuto smiled slyly. "Someone you're interested in?" he asked, releasing the chakra from his map-slash-bar-graph card and replacing it in the deck. "I'll admit that they're far from complete, but I've got info on every one of this year's applicants, including your team. Share anything you know about this person, and I'll be happy to look them up and tell you what I've got so far."

Sakura frowned, stifling a shiver. He already had data on their team? That didn't sound good. This guy gave her a bad feeling. Stiffening, she wondered if he knew anything about "aniki".

She was going to have to keep an eye on Yakushi Kabuto.

"There's two," Sasuke replied. "Gaara of Sunagakure, and Rock Lee of Konohagakure."

"You know their names?" Kabuto nearly laughed. "No sweat, then!"

He pulled two cards from the deck in quick concession, and they all watched as the cards alit with chakra. He laid one down on the floor.

"First up is Rock Lee. He's a year older than you three. Missions to date: twenty D-Ranked and eleven C-Ranked. His team's jonin sensei is Maito Gai, and his taijutsu has grown exponentially this past year. He has no other talents worth mentioning. He was considered a stand-out amongst last year's genin but didn't apply for the Chunin Exams, so he's a first-timer like you lot. His teammates are Hyuuga Neji and Tenten."

_Taijutsu, huh?_ Sakura mused. Then, she'd been right; he _was_ someone who'd worked hard to get where he was, because taijutsu wasn't something you could learn in a day.

Kabuto presented the other card.

"Next is Gaara of Sunagakure, often known as Sabaku no Gaara. An unknown number of D-Ranked missions, eight C-Ranked missions and — wow — one B-Ranked mission. Not many rookie shinobi get those. The only other info I've got on him is that he comes back from every single assignment without a scratch."

Sasuke was silent as he stared at the two cards, invisible gears turning in his mind.

"That's to be expected," Kabuto finished, releasing the chakra and taking back his cards. "All the genin here are just like them — elite, hand-picked, and the best the world's got to offer. They'd have to be, because this test is merciless." His plastic smile wasn't reassuring in the least. "I don't know what your jonin sensei were thinking, sending you nine into this."

Sakura wasn't intimidated simply because failing didn't matter to her. Had that been her goal, then sure, she'd probably be a bit worried, but she was only here to fight people stronger than her and build up her strength.

Her gaze slid to Naruto, who stood with his head down, trembling. Her eyebrows raised. Since when did he ever get discouraged? Naruto was like the sun — an endless source of energy and positivity. Things like this didn't scare him.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, not saying a word but wanting to comfort him somehow. If a guy like Naruto lost his way, then what was keeping _her_ from doing the same?

Then, he cocked a hand on his hip and jabbed a finger at the entire room full of genin, screaming in a way that only he could, "MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO, AND NONE OF YOU LOSERS ARE GONNA BEAT ME! BELIEVE IT!"

Aside from the nine of them and Kabuto, there were one hundred forty-three applicants — all of which were now glaring at them.

"What the hell is his problem? !" Ino shrieked, glaring at Sakura like it was her fault.

"That moron's gonna get us all killed," Shikamaru groaned.

Naruto clasped his hands behind his head, grinning triumphantly. "Yeah! That felt good!"

"Oh, please," Sasuke snorted, but he couldn't contain his smirk.

Kiba rubbed his nose, laughing. "That little punk's got some nerve."

Sighing, Kabuto shrugged and muttered a low, "What can you do?"

In the next instant, he was leaping back to avoid two kunai. The offended Oto-nin was still high up in the air from where he'd launched himself off a desk, and a second one flashed forward. He made an unfamiliar sign with one hand and slung the other fist out in a swift punch. Kabuto dodged, smirking, only to freeze as his glasses shattered.

"What the heck?" Ino cried incredulously. "That guy didn't touch him!"

"His nose was probably grazed," Shikamaru grunted. "Serves him right for acting so superior."

A visible shudder ran down Kabuto's spine before he fell to his hands and knees, vomiting up whatever he'd eaten earlier in the day.

"Oh man, he's hurling!"

"Kabuto!"

"You okay, man? !"

"You're a pushover, aren't you?" his attacker taunted, head turned at an almost unnatural angle. "Pretty sad for someone who's been an applicant for four years now."

"We don't appreciate those comments about our village," the kunai-thrower sneered. "You'd better add this to your cards: the three Oto genin are passing this year."

Then, before anyone could move, there came a loud, "Quiet down, you brats!" as a large cloud of white smoke erupted across the front of the room.

"What the—"

When the smoke cleared, it revealed twenty, if not thirty, chunin and jonin, headed by a bald man covered in scars. He, being the obvious leader, stepped forward and spoke to the stunned genin.

"Thanks for waiting," he announced with what might have been a bit of sarcasm. "My name is Morino Ibiki, and I will be your proctor for the first stage of the Chunin Exams."

Silence greeted him, aside from a few gulps. He was pretty intimidating; if this guy was head of the first stage, they could only imagine who was leading the next parts.

"Oto genin," Ibiki continued tersely, "stop causing a ruckus. Do you want to fail before the exam even begins?"

"My apologies," Kabuto's assailant muttered. "We got a bit carried away."

"On that note," the proctor declared, "there will be no fighting without my permission — and if I _do_ grant my permission, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Anyone who disobeys me will fail immediately." He locked eyes with every genin, one by one. "Do I make myself clear?"

Those that were worried before were even more worried now.

"We will now begin." He held up a small square of wood with the number one carved into it. "Instead of your current seating arrangements — or lack thereof — you will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams."

There was a long pause before it clicked.

"What? !" Naruto shouted. "A _written_ test? !"

Five minutes later, he was slumped over his table, clutching his hair. Hinata, seated to his right, casted him multiple concerned looks.

"Do not turn your tests over until I tell you to," Ibiki warned, eyes scanning the crowd. "Listen carefully because I won't be repeating myself. No questions allowed. These are the rules."

Sakura's eyebrow raised. Rules? No questions? That sounded awfully suspicious.

"Rule Number One: everyone starts off with ten points. The test is made up of ten questions, and however many you answer incorrectly is how many points you lose."

Naruto nodded to himself absently. Sounded easy enough, assuming he could get some of them right.

"Rule Number Two: this is still a team effort. Passing or failing is determined by the cell's total points."

Sakura frowned. He hadn't said what total was the cut off point for passing or failing, but he'd said questions weren't allowed, so she couldn't ask… This was getting a little strange.

"Rule Number Three: if you are caught cheating, two points will be subtracted from each member of the cheater's team."

_Meaning six points lost for cheating. Great. _Shikamaru eyed Ino with a grimace. _Don't do anything stupid._

"If you let the proctors catch you cheating, you'll bring both yourself and your team down," Ibiki lectured. "For chunin, dragging down your team is unacceptable, so those who do so here will fail."

_The cutoff can't be very low,_ Sakura reminded herself. _He didn't bother to mention it, so it must just be a scare tactic. So long as Naruto doesn't try to cheat, we should be fine; Sasuke and I surely can rack up enough total points for our team._

"And one more thing: if any individual loses all ten of his or her points, that person's entire cell, regardless of how well the other two do, will be disqualified."

Sakura's forehead smacked against the desk. Sasuke's eye twitched.

Naruto swallowed, sweat running down his brow. _I can feel their killing intent from all the way over here…_

"You have one hour," Ibiki said. "Starting now!"

Immediately, every genin flipped over their papers.

Sighing, Sakura gritted her teeth. _He can get at least one point,_ she thought firmly. _I know he can. Naruto's not that stupid._

Pencil in hand, she scanned the first question.

"_Decode the following cipher and summarize its meaning."_

She nodded to herself. This was easy.

_Naruto can get that one. I think. Well, maybe not…_

In two minutes flat, she was moving on to the next question.

"_The parabola marked B represents the greatest effective distance the enemy shinobi, A, could throw a shuriken from the top of a 23.3-foot-tall tree. Calculate the specific features of the scenario and deduce the range of the shuriken's effectiveness, assuming a consistent speed for the shinobi A's assault upon any enemy shinobi operating within the arc that the flight of the shuriken describes. Show your work."_

Sakura's eyes closed in exasperation.

_Naruto won't get a single point on this stupid test._

.

Yamanaka Ino watched as Sakura put her pencil down for the first time twenty-one minutes into the test. She smiled to herself, forming a hand seal as covertly as possible.

_Sakura…your billboard brow and big brain have earned my respect, so you ought to feel honored!_

Casting the jutsu, she immediately fell limp and face-planted on the desk. Shikamaru glanced at her from his seat, praying the proctors didn't guess what she was doing.

Sakura stiffened as she felt some force overwhelm her. She slumped forward, eyes drooping.

_What's…_

Her blood ran cold when she heard a distinctive high-pitched laughing.

_**Sorry, Sakura…NOT. You're a dear, letting me possess you like this~!**_

_What? !_ she growled, outraged.

Her hands moved of their own accord, reaching for her paper.

_**I'll just memorize these answers of yours and be on my way.**_

Sakura couldn't remember ever being so furious in her life. How dare this girl invade her mind, her most sacred domain, just for some stupid test!

This shit wasn't happening.

Her hands froze just as her fingers skimmed the paper, shaking with the effort.

_**What? !**_ Ino cried in disbelief. _**No! This is MY body right now, and I'M the one who moves it!**_ She pushed with surprising strength.

_You bitch,_ Sakura snarled, willing her mind to fight back. She envisioned herself grabbing Ino by the forehead, and she saw her inner self do just that. Ino struggled, but she retained her grasp. _This is MY body, and this is MY mind! I'M the one in control here!_

Ino gasped, her mental projection thrashing about in an attempt to squirm away. _**Let go of me! This is MY jutsu!**_

Sakura's wrath exploded into full force, her vision nearly going white with her anger. She snarled at the blond, mental voice getting louder and higher with each word until she ended in a shriek of, _Get out of my HEAD!_

Ino was forcibly thrown back into her own body, and she jerked, head shooting up. Staring at her would-be victim in horror, she could only think, _How did she do that? !_

Sakura, finally alone in her own mind again (or, rather, as alone as someone could get when they have an inner self that they regularly hold conversations with), scowled down at her paper. She gripped the table hard enough to crack it, shoulders tensed.

Ino was _dead_.

.

"Forty-five minutes have passed," Ibiki proclaimed. "I will now administer the tenth question." He took in the number of genin left with an impassive expression. A few teams had been failed, but not many.

Not enough.

Sakura glanced at Naruto, mouth set in a hard line. This was probably his only shot at getting a point.

"But before we get to the question itself," the jonin said, "I'm adding a new rule."

There were a few shouts of objection, but they were quickly silenced.

"This rule is absolute. Each of you must decide whether to accept or reject the tenth question."

"What?" a blond girl spoke up indignantly. Sakura recalled her being on Sabaku no Gaara's team. "So what happens if you reject it?"

Ibiki's tone was colder than ice. "If you choose to reject the question and not even attempt it," he replied, "you automatically forfeit all of your points, meaning disqualification for both you and your teammates."

"Say what? !" a guy yelled, flying from his seat.

"Why would anyone want to reject the question? !" the girl at his side demanded angrily.

"Because," Ibiki stated bluntly, "if you attempt the question and answer it incorrectly, you'll never be permitted to participate in the Chunin Exams again. Not ever."

"That's ridiculous!" Kiba shouted, his dog barking in agreement. "There are plenty of people here who've already taken the exams before, and they've been allowed to sign up again!"

Ibiki chuckled. "That's just your rotten luck, because I wasn't making the rules in past years. But I am now."

Kiba gritted his teeth.

"Anyone who has doubts should give up now and try again next year. For those of you to which that applies, raise your hands. Once your number is taken down, you and your team may leave."

Silence fell over the room. For a long time, no one moved. Sakura kept her eyes on Naruto. This rule didn't affect her that much, but it surely had impacted him like a meteor. His dream was to become Hokage, and that couldn't happen if he was stuck as a genin for the rest of his life.

But if he didn't accept the question, he'd be back at square one, and they'd just have to hope that Ibiki wouldn't be the next year's proctor. Highly unlikely.

_Keep it together, Naruto,_ she urged him wordlessly. _You've got this. If this question is being given orally, then it has to be different from the other nine. It's probably a riddle, and you can figure it out if you try. Just don't raise your hand._

She knew she didn't have to worry about Sasuke giving in; his ego was far too large for that. Besides, he had the intelligence to figure out the answer.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura, noting how intently she was watching their other teammate. She'd be fine, without a doubt. Naruto — maybe, maybe not. Himself…

He laughed under his breath, smirk tight with irritation.

It was a good thing he'd figured out that they _wanted_ the genin to cheat, because he hadn't known how to answer a single one of those damn questions.

Hesitantly, a hand raised. A girl at the back of the room gasped, and the guy dropped his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Izumi," he mumbled, "but I can't do it."

The girl looked away, eyes squeezing shut. She stood with him and their third team member, disqualified.

A moment later, four more people raised their hands, and Ibiki failed them with their cells. Groups of genin looked at one another nervously.

Sakura gripped her table stiffly, not caring that she'd just widened the crack in it. Naruto was shaking all over.

_No,_ she insisted. _No, Naruto, c'mon. Don't raise your hand._

Slowly, his hand went into the air.

Her fist clenched and banged on the desk. _Damn it, Naruto! Put that hand down!_

Sasuke swore to himself.

Then, before Ibiki could call out their numbers and kick them out, Naruto's hand slammed down on the table before him.

"_Never_ underestimate me!" he roared, voice echoing throughout the entire classroom. "I _never_ quit, and I _never_ run away! No way do I reject it! I accept your stupid question!" He sprung from his seat, screaming directly at Ibiki with everything he had. "Even if I end up a genin for the rest of my life, I'll _still_ become Hokage, even if it's from stubbornness alone! I don't care! So give me your dumb question and be prepared, 'cause I'm ready for it!"

Huffing from his outburst, he sat back down and crossed his arms over his chest. Sakura dropped her face into one of her hands, shoulders trembling with quiet laughter. Now _that_ was the Naruto she knew. Sasuke snorted, eyes closed.

_He never even gave us a thought._

"I'll ask you one last time," Ibiki warned, face giving nothing away. "This is a decision that will affect the rest of your life. Give up now while you've got the chance."

"No way," Naruto disagreed, determined. "I never go back on my word. That's my shinobi way!"

The man glanced around the remaining genin. Seventy-eight.

No one said a word. None of them even looked nervous anymore.

He chuckled. Uzumaki Naruto was an interesting kid.

"Good call," he murmured. "So, everyone who's still here…" He smirked. "You've just passed the first exam!"

There was a pause before the chaos erupted. Genin yelled, demanding to know what was going on and what the point of the test had been in the first place. Sakura no longer cared; she'd passed, and she could always think about it later. Most of the shouts died down when Ibiki pulled off his bandana-tied hitai-ate, revealing gruesome scars from being tortured, and he proceeded to lecture the residual applicants about information gathering until the window to his right shattered.

Instantly, most of the genin were on guard, some few like Naruto just gaping in astonishment. A larger banner came crashing through the window and unraveled itself, kunai imbedding in the ceiling to hold it in place and a woman leaping from somewhere amongst the cloth.

"None of you are in any position to celebrate!" she barked loudly. "I'm the proctor for the second stage of the Chunin Exams, Mitarashi Anko! Time's a-wastin' people, so let's go!" She threw up an arm energetically. "FOLLOW ME!"

No one moved a muscle.

Anko grimaced at the poor reaction, puffing out her cheeks at Ibiki when he gave a flat, "Can't you read the mood in here?" from behind the banner.

Sasuke frowned at the woman. She reminded him of a certain blond he wanted nothing to do with.

"Seventy-eight of you are still here? !" she exclaimed incredulously. "Ibiki, you passed twenty-six teams? ! Clearly, you went too easy on them!"

"This year, we have applicants of exceptional caliber," he replied almost smugly.

"Yeah, right," she scoffed. "I'll cut down the number by half before the next test is done!"

Sakura's eyebrows raised.

Well, _that_ didn't sound good.

.

.

.

"Alright, maggots!" Anko declared, hands on her hips as she stood before a large fenced-in forest. "This is the arena for the second exam: Training Ground Forty-Four. Also known as the Forest of Death." She smirked. "And you're about to find out firsthand why it's called that."

Sakura studied the arena.

Huge, moss-covered trees bigger than any in the forest surrounding the village. Sickly-looking vines hanging from every branch. Unidentifiable insects crawling between the tree roots. Flocks of birds flying away rapidly. The growls and hisses of large animals that didn't sound very happy.

"Forest of Death," indeed.

Naruto cocked his wrists on his hips, squatting and shaking his rear like a duck. " 'Oooh, you're about to find out firsthand why it's called that~!' " he mocked in a high, girly tone. "Like that's really gonna scare us. You're trying to psyche us out, and I'm not falling for it, lady!"

"Oh, really?" Anko laughed sweetly, beaming. "You're pretty cocky, huh?"

In the blink of an eye, she launched a kunai in his direction and appeared behind him almost before the cut opened up on his cheek.

"Heh. Your kind are always the first to go." She grabbed his chin and ran her tongue along the shallow cut. "Spilling all that rich, red, luscious blood…"

One of the Kusagakure genin materialized at her back, offering a kunai with his (Her? Its?) tongue.

"Your knife," the person murmured. "I believe you dropped it."

"Gee, thanks," Anko sang, retrieving it with a wide, eye-crinkling smile.

Naruto shivered, squirming away from both of them to shrink by Sakura's side. She arched an eyebrow at him, managing to keep a neutral expression.

"Want a band aid for that?"

He shook his head, shuddering. "No thanks," he grumbled. "I don't think I can stand for somebody to touch my face again after seeing that tongue…"

"Before we begin the second exam," Anko announced, "there's something I have to hand out." She drew a stack of papers from her tan trench coat. "These are consent forms. Everyone has to sign one."

"Why?" Naruto questioned uneasily.

She laughed brightly, smiling. "We want all the details covered before the first deaths occur. Sign before you go in so we can't be held liable. You wouldn't want me to get in trouble, would you?"

She was the picture of innocence.

Not.

"First, I'll explain what the second exam entails, and then you can sign. With the other two members of your cell, bring the forms to the hut behind you and submit them. About the exam — to put it simply, it's a no-holds-barred survival test."

Naruto groaned.

"Let's start with the topography of this training ground." Anko pulled a scroll from her coat and held it up for everyone to see, letting gravity unravel it. Pictured on it was a map of the arena. "Training Ground Forty-Four is bordered by a circular perimeter, interrupted at regular intervals by forty-four locked gates. There are forests and a river, and in the center is a tower about ten kilometers from those gates. Within the confines of this carefully delineated area, you're going to undergo a survival test. During the course of that test, you may use any ninja arts or weapons you have at your disposal. It's a kind of fight-to-the-death version of 'capture the flag'. Or, in this case, 'capture the scroll'."

"Scroll?" someone echoed.

"Yes," she said, palming a scroll in each hand. "There are two types of scrolls: a heaven scroll and an earth scroll. There are twenty-six teams here, so thirteen will start out with a heaven scroll, and thirteen will start out with an earth scroll. Your goal is to obtain one of each and bring them both to the tower at the center."

"Meaning at least half of us will fail," Sakura spoke up.

"Exactly," Anko agreed, grinning. "There's a time limit, too — one hundred twenty hours. That's precisely five days."

"Five days? !" Ino cried, mouth hanging open.

"What are we supposed to do for food? !" Chouji demanded.

The proctor shrugged. "That's your problem. The forests are full of nature's bounty. Of course, they're also full of man-eating animals, deadly insects, and poisonous plants. There's no way as many as thirteen teams will pass." She kneaded a muscle on the back of her neck nonchalantly. "As the time shortens, the trials will come harder and faster with less recovery time for any mistakes, accidents, or injuries. You'll be surrounded by enemies at all times, so you'll have to sleep with one eye open. So, in addition to those who die in attempts to defend or capture scrolls, some of you are bound to succumb to" — she ticked them off on her fingers — "exhaustion, exposure, starvation, and dehydration."

Ino was beginning to look a little sick, Sakura noted.

Oh, she hoped they ran into each other in that forest. She was going to kill her for possessing her mind back in the first exam.

Anko cleared the count on her fingers to start again for her next topic. "Now let's talk about the rules and everything you can be disqualified for. Obviously, teams that fail to reach the tower in time with both scrolls are out. So is any team that loses a member, whether to death or severe injury. And under no circumstances can you leave the forest before time is up. No recess. No timeouts. Also, you're forbidden to look at the contents of the scrolls until you're inside the tower."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "What happens if we sneak a peek?"

Anko winked. "That's for those who look to know! If any of you make it to chunin level, there'll be times when you're trusted with a top-secret document, so consider it a test of your trustworthiness." She stuffed her hands in her coat pockets. "And that's it. We'll trade one scroll for every three consent forms. Once you've got yours, choose the gate you want to start from, and everyone will go at the same time." She smirked without humor. "My final piece of advice to you is this: stay alive."

One of her chunin assistants began passing out the consent forms and pens, and there was a ten minute delay until they were being accepted in exchange for scrolls in case any team decided to quit. Sakura browsed the paper curiously before signing, then glanced over at Sasuke and Naruto. The former was in the process of signing his, while the latter was already waiting for them.

When it was their turn to receive a scroll, theirs was white with the kanji symbol "ten" painted on it — a heaven scroll. Sasuke stuffed it securely in the bottom of his weapons pouch on the back of his hip.

"You ready for this?" Naruto said, clenching a fist in excitement. "This'll be a piece of cake!"

Without checking with his teammates, he made for Gate Twelve, and they resigned themselves to waiting for time to begin. He casted the occasional glare at the closest teams on either side of them — Kiba's cell at Gate Sixteen, and Gaara's at Gate Six. A group of chunin dispersed amongst the teams, unlocking each of their gates and waiting with synchronized watches to open them.

"Alright, everyone!" Anko called. "Part two of the Chunin Exams begins now!"

With that, every gate was thrown open, and the teams charged through.

.

Not five minutes into the exam, three screams echoed through the forest. Naruto grimaced, looking back over his shoulder.

"Er, did you guys hear something…?"

"We can't worry about that right now," Sakura reminded him. "They sounded a long ways off, so whatever got to them will take time to get to us — if it even gets to us at all."

He nodded, clearly relieved. "Right. I knew that."

She looked to Sasuke. "Which direction do you want to head?" she inquired. "Most teams will head directly for the tower and try to get scrolls along the way, but some will stay back for at least a day or two, and some might even circle the border for easy pickings. Or, if you can think of something better, we can try that."

Sasuke trailed his eyes over the forest ahead of him, evaluating the pros and cons of each. From what he could tell, there were no other shinobi within sight or hearing range, so they didn't necessarily have to move right at that moment. Then again, there were sure to be teams scavenging for cells that stayed in one spot for too long.

Decisions, decisions.

"Uh, hey, guys," Naruto interjected, bouncing from one foot to the other. "I gotta pee, so can we hurry this up?"

"Go ahead and do it," she told him patiently, turning around so she wasn't facing his direction. "We'll wait."

His face glowed bright red.

"U-um, I'll just use the bushes…"

"Don't stray too far, then," she advised. "And keep watch for enemy shinobi." She watched him until he disappeared into the foliage, then turned back to Sasuke. "Ideas?"

He grunted. "We'll go towards the tower," he decided, "but at an energy-conserving pace. We might need all five days to find a scroll."

Sakura nodded. "Sounds good to me."

They stood there another two minutes before Naruto finally emerged, grinning contently. "Oh man, what a relief!" he laughed. "Feelin' good now!"

Sakura and Sasuke didn't even look at each other; they moved at the same time.

Sasuke struck out with the speed of a viper, punching Naruto across the face, and Sakura kicked his legs out from under him to increase the distance her teammate's blow threw him. Naruto yelled in surprise, skidding over the ground and slamming into a tree trunk.

The blond wiped at a trickle of blood on the corner of his mouth, growling irately, "What the heck was _that_ for? !"

"What have you done with Naruto?" Sasuke interrogated calmly.

"Um, _hello_!" he shrieked. "I'm right in front of you! _Bleeding_!"

Sasuke scoffed. "You're wearing your shuriken holster on your left side. Naruto's right-handed. And you forgot the cut Naruto got from the proctor right before the exam."

"And even if you _weren't_ so terrible at transformations," Sakura added sharply, "your chakra signature gives you away. Where's Naruto?"

Without further hesitation, "Naruto" transformed into a Kiri genin wearing a sash over the top of his face with eyeholes cut out and a rebreather. "Since you've forced me to come clean, why don't you do the same?" he sneered, lunging for them. "Which one of you two has the scroll?"

Sakura flung a handful of shuriken his way as Sasuke unleashed a quick Phoenix Flower Jutsu. The Kiri-nin dodged, and Sakura materialized behind him. Before he could turn, she landed a solid kick to his shoulder blades with minimal chakra, sending him careening halfway across the small clearing.

"Naruto's tied up on the other side of that far tree!" Sasuke called to her, having spotted him when he leapt into the air to perform his jutsu. She darted off to free their teammate while he dealt with the enemy.

When Sakura found him, Naruto was bound from head to toe like a caterpillar. "You okay?" she asked, slicing the rope.

"I'm fine," he confirmed, obviously peeved at being caught. "Where's that guy at? I'm gonna kill 'em!"

Not a second after the words left his mouth, they both heard the nameless shinobi howl with pain.

"Sasuke's got it covered," she replied, helping him to his feet.

Sure enough, Sasuke met them halfway back to their original position, blood splattered across his face.

"He got away," the Uchiha grunted icily, "but he might show back up with his team later. We need to move."

"Man, this sucks," Naruto grumbled, scowling as he met his companion stride for stride across tree branches. "I'm the first one attacked, and I don't even get to fight!"

"You'll get your chance sooner or later," Sakura assured him flatly. "We've got five days, remember?"

He huffed but didn't argue.

Once they'd covered nearly a hundred meters, Sasuke veered off to the northeast and led them another fifty until they reached a clearing roughly a third of the size of the last one they'd stopped in. The trees in this area were larger than any Sakura had seen before, and they twisted at awkward angles to conjoin with others. Apparently satisfied with the new surroundings, Sasuke crouched at the base of the second largest one amongst a nest of misshapen roots as thick as a human body.

For a moment, they merely rested, hardly daring to breathe as they listened for the sounds of other teams. When nothing happened, Sakura offered, "Do you want me to scan the area for any chakra signatures?"

Sasuke gave a single shake of his head. "Conserve your chakra for now; we'll worry about detection when other cells start getting more desperate for scrolls."

"What do we do now?" Naruto grouched. "Just sit and wait for something to happen?"

"Rest if you want to," Sakura answered. "But other than that, yes."

The blond groaned. "How can I rest at a time like this?"

"Best do it while you can rather than getting drowsy when there _isn't_ any time to sleep."

Despite what she said, Sakura agreed that sleep wouldn't come easily. Judging by the position of the sun, it was nearing or just past six, meaning they still had a couple hours of sunlight left — not the best time to be moving around, considering the situation they were in.

Foraging, however, might provide the distraction they were searching for.

"If you want to do something useful," Sakura began, watching as Naruto's head shot up, "you can help me search for berries."

He frowned deeply. "Why berries?"

"Because," she explained, "they're sure to be a plentiful resource in a forest like this, they're easy to eat and carry along, food is going to be a necessity at some point if we stay here for five days, and" — her eyes flashed — "you can do more with certain types of berries than just eating them."

"Can you identify them?" Sasuke questioned, scrutinizing her for any hint of uncertainty. Mixing up types of wild edible and nonedible plants could mean the difference between life and death. He didn't know enough about them to decipher their toxicity, and he was positive Naruto didn't either, so if they took this route, they'd have to trust her explicitly.

Sakura never blinked. "I'm positive I can identify any type of berry growing in or around Konoha, but should we come across one I'm unfamiliar with, we'll have nothing to do with it."

After a minute, Sasuke nodded. "Berries it is, then."

.

Sasuke glanced at the sun, determining the time to be around seven-thirty. They had perhaps half an hour to an hour until the sun went down. They'd kept one another within sight at all times while searching for potential food sources, but there'd eventually come a time when that wasn't the case. Time to set up security measures.

"If we get separated again, we can't just trust each other blindly," he said, spinning a kunai on his finger. "We don't need a repeat of what happened earlier."

Naruto glowered at the dirt beneath his hands.

"The safest thing we can do now is establish a password," he continued. "No matter who they look like or how they sound, if they get it wrong, assume it's an enemy." He waited for both of them to nod. "Now listen carefully; I'm not going to repeat this. It's a poem called 'Ninki' — 'Ninja Opportunity' — and when asked for it, this is how you respond."

Naruto seemed uncertain, but he didn't object. Yet.

" 'We thrive in the chaos of the enemy tide. Quiet shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait, until the enemy lowers the gate.' "

Sakura nodded again, running over the poem in her mind.

Naruto's face screwed up. "And you expect me to remember that _how_?" he demanded. When he didn't get an answer, he tried a different approach. "We need a better password — like 'swordfish.' How about 'swordfish'?"

"I'll take the scroll," Sasuke muttered, completely ignoring him.

Naruto, ticked at not being heard out, was too busy complaining to realize when Sasuke slipped the scroll from his pouch and passed it to Sakura. She took it, staring him down silently. He inclined his head a fraction of an inch, and she gave a meaningful blink to signify that she understood.

Refraining from scanning the area with chakra lest any enemies sense what she was doing, she hid the scroll in her rear pouch.

Once Naruto had calmed down from his rant, which hadn't gone anywhere, he sighed as though heavily put-upon.

"Can we at least find that dumb river or something? All this talking is making me thirsty."

Sasuke shot him a look that clearly said, "Then stop talking, idiot," but it was ignored.

"Here," Sakura said, reaching back into her rear pouch for the water bottle she'd packed that morning and had yet to open. "I've got this."

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," he chirped, catching it when she tossed it to him. "You're the best!"

"Just don't drink too much," she warned. "That's the only one I've got, and it may be a while before we make it to the river."

He unscrewed the cap with an audible cracking of the seal, then paused, blinking.

"Huh…?"

Both Sasuke and Sakura's heads snapped up, detecting what their teammate had a heartbeat later.

All at once, a huge explosion of air gushed around them, knocking all three off their feet and sending them flying in different directions. Sakura swore, snatching a thick tree root and using it to stop her momentum. She crouched behind it, waiting for another attack, but the initial burst was all that came. Slowly, the wind settled back down, and she wondered briefly if it had been residue from a fight between two other teams a little ways away.

But the nearly invisible weight of the scroll burned on her hip, and she knew to trust her instincts on this one. She gave it another minute before flash-stepping to another perch. Then another. Finally, when she deemed the coast clear, she stepped out.

Immediately, she drew a kunai and shifted into a defensive stance as Sasuke appeared before her in the same manner. They eyed one another, neither dropping their weapons.

"What's the password?" he asked tersely.

"How is saying it going to relieve my suspicions of you?" she countered.

His eyes narrowed. Then, he inclined his head so slightly that it could've been mistaken for a twitch, and Sakura got what he was indicating. She blinked almost exaggeratedly, and instantly the tension lessened in his body. She lowered her kunai at the same time he did, but barely a second later, they were both raising them again as Naruto stumbled out of the undergrowth.

"Man, what the heck was that?" he griped. "You guys okay?"

"Not another step until you've said the password," Sakura ordered.

He seemed surprised, then grinned. "Right — 'Ninki'." He nodded more to himself than them. " 'We thrive in the chaos of the enemy tide. Quiet shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait, until the enemy lowers the gate.' "

Sakura scanned his chakra signature quickly. That was definitely his pattern, and his appearance hadn't changed a bit, but…

Sasuke flung his weapon, and the blond leapt away with a startled screech. Sakura widened her stance, drawing her kunai closer for a more powerful throw should she need to let it loose.

Whoever this was, they were more skilled at the henge jutsu than anyone she'd ever seen. They'd even managed to reproduce a fake chakra signature — Sakura, who was unusually skilled with chakra control, found such a trick more than a little difficult.

But, talented or not, there was one thing he hadn't been able to copy.

"Where is he?" she ground out, mentally cursing him for being captured twice in the same day.

The imposter smirked and released the transformation, revealing himself (Herself? Itself?) to be the Kusa-nin with the outrageously long tongue from before the second stage began.

"Well done," the shinobi congratulated, adjusting his/her straw hat. "What gave me away?"

"I knew you were eavesdropping," Sasuke stated matter-of-factly, "which is why I chose that kind of password. Naruto's a complete idiot; he probably doesn't even remember what the poem's called."

"I see," he/she cooed. "Watch and wait strategy, eh? This'll be more fun that I thought." Chuckling, the person-of-undeterminable-gender drew a scroll from what seemed to be thin air. "I suppose you'd like to steal our earth scroll, wouldn't you…? Since you've already got a heaven scroll."

Sakura stiffened further. How did this person know what kind of scroll they had?

Then, he/she lifted the scroll and wrapped his/her tongue around it, swallowing it whole. Both members of Team Seven watched in disgust. Sakura mentally assigned him the gender "male."

"Now, shall we see just who will be stealing scrolls from whom?" He pulled down the skin beneath his unnervingly yellow eye. "We'll fight to the death!"

She sensed the genjutsu a moment before it struck her. Horrifying images of death and agony raced before her eyes at impossible speeds, and she felt a kunai pierce her temple. Pain seared through her like fire, licking at her skin, burning away her consciousness as blood seeped into her from all over. She was drowning — burning and drowning and _dying_ —

_NO!_

Sakura recalled how it felt to shove Ino from her mind, how it felt to release a genjutsu, and with a sharp jerk of her body, she was free. She couldn't suck in air quickly enough, and her jaws ached from the silent screams she'd been forming. Whipping her head in Sasuke's direction, she saw as he turned to her with a choked, "Sakura!"

Upon finding her in no better shape than he, he recognized the hopelessness of their situation. They had to retreat.

"I imagine you're mostly paralyzed by now," the man sneered, flicking a pair of kunai their way.

Sasuke drove a blade into his own thigh, and seeing it made Sakura shudder with the ghost feeling of the knife slicing through her forehead. She needed no further stimulation. As he leapt for her with Sharingan blazing, Sakura grasped his forearm and kicked off the ground at the same time as he to aid in their escape.

They rocketed into a tree and crashed in an intersection of the main trunk and a branch no lower than sixty feet from the forest floor. Both of them fell apart, gasping for breath. Sasuke's thigh trembled when he yanked the kunai from it, spilling blood all over his leg, and Sakura reached over on pure instinct with a glowing green palm. He didn't resist as she suspended her fingers over the wound, healing it in less time than it took him to utter her name. The instant she finished, he jerked his head to the side and launched into the closest tree.

She followed him through at least a dozen trees, masking her chakra signature. Anyone who could make their own imitate another's could definitely sense someone else's. There was no rhyme nor reason to their flight path, leaving the enemy shinobi no way of predicting where they would stop.

When Sasuke did halt in a tree, Sakura carefully swept her chakra across the area in a ten meter radius. Not only was their new "friend" absent — unless he could conceal his chakra signature flawlessly, which she wouldn't put past him — but Naruto was nowhere to be found, either.

This was just getting worse and worse.

Sasuke glanced around, eyes wide, trying to figure out which way to go next. Sakura had never seen him so jumpy. She followed without objection when he leapt for a tree to the south, but halfway between branches, a snake larger than your average house shot up the trunk. She snatched his sleeve and hauled him back on a branch to the side, but the serpent struck out like lightning, forcing them to jump away.

They dodged in opposite directions, Sasuke vaulting to a higher branch on the same tree while Sakura opted for a lower one on the adjacent tree. She cursed as the creature shot after her teammate while he was still in midair, and she hurtled toward it despite knowing she wouldn't be fast enough.

Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes widened wildly and he flung an entire volley of shuriken into its mouth, shrieking, "_Get away from me!_"

Sakura changed course, skidding further down Sasuke's branch away from the felled snake and toward him. Had he been caught in another genjutsu? Was that why he'd panicked and started yelling?

From an injury in the serpent's neck rose the Kusa-nin as though being born from an egg. They watched in horror as his head raised, tongue slithering out.

"Stay on your toes, like a good prey should," he cackled. "It makes the chase so much more rewarding for the predator."

Then, he himself twisted up the branch like a snake, only to be stopped as a handful of shuriken imbedded itself in the bark inches from his skull.

"Sorry, Sasuke," came an obnoxiously smug voice from an high branch, "but I can't remember that stupid password."

Relief washed over Sakura. "You sure know how to show up late, huh, Naruto?"

He grinned. "What're you talking about, Sakura-chan? The hero _always_ shows up just in time!"

"This isn't just some genin, you idiot," Sasuke growled. "This guy is way out of your league!"

But Naruto wasn't listening. "Hey! Pick on someone your own size, you snake freak! Or something like that!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. _He's going to get us all killed. The only thing I can think to do is…_

He released his Sharingan, allowing his eyes to run black once more, and lifted his chin. "If you want our scroll, you can have it. Just take it and go."

"What? !" Naruto shouted indignantly. "What the heck are you doing? !"

Sasuke didn't look at her or ask for the scroll just in case, but she knew he expected her to hand it over if they could get away with just letting the guy have it. She was reluctant to take that path because it meant having to start from scratch, but she knew in her gut that this guy was too strong for even their combined efforts.

Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

"Well done," the Kusa-nin hissed in delight. "You're natural-born prey, instinctively knowing that your only chance of survival lies in the hope of the predator being distracted by tastier bait." He drew his tongue across his mouth.

"Don't give it to him, Sasuke!" Naruto called.

"Shut up, you moron!" he yelled back, holding a hand out to Sakura.

When he felt no scroll, he turned his hard gaze on her. She hesitated.

"Sakura," he bit out coldly.

Her eyes shifted to the unnamed man twisted around the branch. "That's not what he wants. Is it?" she challenged, the last part louder so that the Kusa-nin knew she was talking to him.

He laughed a sickening, eerie laugh. "Perhaps I _do_ want the scroll," he admitted mirthfully, "but I want more to _kill_ you."

Sasuke tensed up even further, if that was possible. Naruto all but bared his teeth at their opponent who meticulously unraveled himself from the tree.

With a menacing smirk, the stranger pulled back his left sleeve to reveal markings for a summoning jutsu on his forearm. He bit down on his thumb and drew a smooth line of blood across the ink.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The three genin had no time to interfere before he was enveloped in a large cloud of white smoke, and when it dispersed, he was standing on the head of a snake twice the size of his last one. It struck at Naruto with dizzying speed, bashing its entire upper half against the tree he'd perched himself upon and shattering it in the process.

Sakura cursed, eyes tracking her teammate to make sure he was alright as he smashed through another tree, crying out and blood bubbling to his lips. As he fell through the air, half-limp, she created a clone and both launched themselves across the gap. Her clone grabbed Naruto and skidded to a halt on a further tree before disappearing, and she drew her leg up nearly parallel to her spine. Shouting the equivalent of a battle cry, Sakura slammed her heel down on the snake's brow in a crushing axe kick.

Their creepy new friend detached himself before he could be dragged down with the now-very-dead serpent (if its caved-in skull was any indication), and he didn't look too happy. He hissed at her.

She fell to an even lower branch and landed solidly on her feet. Naruto, meanwhile, was seething ten feet above her in a tree nearly six yards away. Sasuke was stunned speechless — but whether it was from her move or just the psycho they were fighting in general, she wasn't sure.

For all of three seconds, it seemed as though the Kusa-nin was about to go after her and lob off her head. But then, he caught her anxious glance at her statue-like teammate, and his expression evened out. He flew at Sasuke as though he were the essence of lightning itself.

Naruto, eyes slitted and glowing red, hurtled from his tree with a howl of rage. He reached the man barely six feet from Sasuke, but he was ready for it. The foreigner whipped around and flashed out his tongue, binding the blond in it as though it were rope.

"Let go of me!" he screeched, thrashing, but it made no difference.

Sakura leapt further up the tree, praying against all odds that she'd make it on time seeing as Sasuke had picked the worst possible time to become absolutely useless. The man took one look at Naruto's eyes and laughed forebodingly.

"The Kyubi is still alive and kicking!" He jerked up the top half of Naruto's jumpsuit to show a spiral mark around his bellybutton. "There's the proof. The spell that seals the monster within appears on your skin like a tattoo."

_No!_ Sakura thought angrily as he shoved his fingers on the seal, activating some sort of jutsu. _Just a few more feet—!_

Furious, she lashed out at her other cellmate.

"Damn it, Sasuke, what the hell is the matter with you? !" she exploded, springing past him.

But it was too late.

Naruto's eyes had already sipped closed, and he'd already been thrown from the tree. The man dematerialized just as she came within punching range. Ripping kunai from her pouch so quickly that she nearly knocked the scroll out, she flung them at Naruto's falling form. They struck his jumpsuit and pinned him to the same tree he'd been in not minutes earlier. She had no time to check on him; that man could be anywhere, and Sasuke needed a good talking-to.

She slapped him across the face, and he staggered back, staring at her in disbelief as his fingers absently probed his red cheek.

"Get it together, Uchiha!" she snapped, restraining herself from punching him across the training grounds since that probably wouldn't help their situation. "You coward, how can you ever expect to face your brother if you cower at the sight of this guy? !" She shoved him viciously. "I'm supposed to tell you about my aniki, remember? And you're supposed to tell me about yours. And that can't happen if you turn into a freaking _vegetable_ and don't get your ass in gear!"

The last words his brother spoke to him darted through the recesses of his mind, and his gaze landed on their fallen comrade. His eyes squeezed shut and he gritted his teeth.

Then he opened them.

Sharingan.

"Who said I was a vegetable?" he growled, hands flashing to his weapons pouches.

Sakura smiled humorlessly. "I guess you're more like a fruit anyway — all of those tomatoes have been rotting your head."

Their opponent reappeared, curling around the branch they stood upon in all his freakish snake-like glory, but this time from Sasuke's side. Reacting like what could only be described as a team, they both kicked off to opposite sides and pitched a barrage of steel blades. He slithered effortlessly out of the way.

Then Sasuke jerked on the wire.

To the man's shock, half of the weapons thrown circled back, and he barely dodged them. Unfortunately for him, however, dodging that kind of attack was the worst thing he could've done. Within seconds, he was tangled up in a mess of steel wire that sliced his skin and kept him from reaching the summoning marks on his forearm.

Sasuke, holding the other end of the line between his teeth, flashed through a series of hand signs and unleashed a dragon flame jutsu that seared down the convenient path already laid for it. The man screeched, rearing back as the blaze engulfed him. Thinking fast, Sakura ripped off a branch as thick as her leg and chucked it at him like a spear. If they could pin him down, then they'd have enough time to gather Naruto and get out of there.

His cry suddenly halted, and he stepped out of the way, the fire extinguishing with unnatural speed. The branch shattered harmlessly behind him, but it wasn't that Sasuke and Sakura were watching.

It was his face.

It had melted into a sheet of horrible wrinkles and blackened flakes, all except for his left eye. No, correction — his left eye had been burnt off completely, revealing underneath _another _eye, most likely connected to another face entirely. One that was as white as a corpse. Disgust churned in Sakura's stomach.

"A truly worthy successor to the honored Uchiha clan," he hissed, grotesque smile stretching further than his jaws should've allowed. "In fact…I believe I want you after all!" He lifted a palm to his hitai-ate, and when he drew it back again, it no longer displayed the mark of Kusagakure, but Otogakure. "It's been marvelous fun, having you show me all your tricks. You really _are_ his brother, aren't you?"

For a moment, Sakura thought he was talking to her, but then she realized that his creepy yellow eyes were focused on Sasuke alone. Her teammate twitched, fists clenching.

"Who the heck are you?" he demanded.

The man's smile widened. "I am Orochimaru. And if you ever want a rematch, then pass this exam as quickly as you can. I'll see you again if you manage to defeat the three Oto-nin who serve me."

Sakura flashed back to the trio who'd attacked Kabuto before the first exam. She'd known there was something fishy about them.

He turned as if to walk away, and they didn't see the hand sign he formed.

Sakura's fingertips skimmed the holster on her hip; she wasn't sure they should let him leave, but what could they do? It'd probably be better this way.

Neither of them saw it coming.

As quickly as the snakes he fraternized with, his neck elongated and shot out toward them, fangs bared. Chakra flooded to her fist, and acting on instinct, she snapped forward and drilled her signature punch into his throat. Only when his head was wrenched back, a motion that threw him off balance and sent him over the edge of the branch, did she see what he'd done.

Sasuke crumpled to his knees and shrieked like a wounded animal, clutching at a bite mark on the back of his neck. She swore and darted to his side, crouching down to examine the injury. To her horror, the laceration healed before her eyes and an inky black symbol that resembled the tomoe in his Sharingan bled through his skin. She recognized it as having to do with some type of jutsu, but Kami only knew what it did.

Mercifully, his screams stopped as he finally passed out, and all of his weight fell against her. Sakura pressed a hand to his forehead beneath his headband.

A fever. Not good.

Carefully, she stood and pulled him up with her, but his feet were refusing to cooperate. She slid an arm around him, then hoisted him up over her shoulder as though he were a sack of grain. She turned to call out to Naruto, only to find that he, too, was unconscious.

She pressed her lips together in a hard line.

Sakura was now the only one in their cell that was still mostly uninjured and fully alert. With a grunt, she hopped across to the tree the blond was suspended from, stumbling under Sasuke's added weight. Her resolved tightened as she retrieved her other worn out teammate.

It was up to her now.

* * *

_But beware, my marionette, for danger is in sight.  
Struggle under pressure until your strings are tight,  
__And then forge ahead and cast your light._


	12. Sedulity

As I've been doing so often lately, I apologize (again). I know you guys don't like waiting so much for each chapter, but I'm doing my best, so I hope you'll be patient with me.

I've got something else to apologize for, too. Remember how I said Sasori was likely to show up in chapter thirteen but less likely to show up in fourteen? Yeah. It's offcially going to be fourteen. Sorry. But both thirteen and fourteen are going to be super long like this one and the last two.

Also, things are really starting to change. Maybe not too much in this chapter, but next chapter is where the shit's gonna hit the fan and go flying in every direction. Just keep in mind that everything that strays from the original story is due to something else that's already happened. If you're wondering why something is going a certain way, trace it back to everything that affects it.

We're almost there! The next chapter will finally end part one, and part two will pick up MUCH more quickly. I mean it - things will be moving fast starting in chapter fourteen. I hope you all enjoy this, and please review; I love reading your feedback. :) (I'm also shamelessly begging you to help me achieve my first 1000-review fic, so...please?)

* * *

**Sedulity**

* * *

Aside from medical techniques, ninjutsu had never been Sakura's strong point. Sure, she could do the basics like clones and whatnot, but advanced jutsu and those of the elemental variety usually fell outside of her range of abilities — but that wasn't to say that she couldn't do _some_. She'd recently added her first two wind-style techniques to her admittedly small arsenal, even though they weren't that strong considering the size of her chakra reserves; the best she could hope to accomplish with them was momentary distraction or knocking someone off-balance, unfortunately. It was clearly a field she needed to work on once the Chunin Exams were over.

But one intermediate jutsu she _had_ managed to learn was a simple sealing technique.

So, after finding an adequate location to hide her all-but-useless teammates away and setting up traps to catch any unlucky souls that came snooping (a process that wasn't completed until the early hours of the following morning), she took another look at the mark on the back of Sasuke's neck. Frowning to herself in concentration, she probed it with chakra. Immediately, it pulsed and hissed, releasing a tiny puff of steam. She felt the shock in her fingertips, but aside from stinging, it didn't harm her. She cursed.

She'd been right after all. It _did_ have something to do with a jutsu, and judging by the look of it, whatever it did wouldn't be pleasant in the slightest.

Sakura pulled Sasuke's torso across her lap and turned him over, tugging back his collar. "Sorry about this," she muttered, forming a quick series of hand signs. Then, she placed a glowing palm over the symbol.

It reacted even more angrily this time, and she swore she could hear it screeching near the frequency of a dog whistle. Determined, she poured chakra into the mark even as it began to burn her hand, and she could literally feel the evil coursing through it in waves. The sensation was gross and creepy, and it made her feel altogether dirty. Goosebumps bloomed across her skin, and the hair on the back of her neck rose.

Sasuke groaned but didn't stir. Probably for the best, she thought grimly, because he'd undoubtedly be writhing in agony if he was awake. The mark throbbed like it was alive beneath her palm, and all at once, Sakura felt lightning shoot up her arm.

Unable to swallow a short shriek of shock and pain, she tumbled back as her hand was forcibly expelled from the symbol. Eyes wide, she regarded it warily.

This was even worse that she'd imagined. That thing, whatever it was, couldn't be contained with any sealing jutsu she knew of. She doubted even forbidden jutsu would be able to stop it completely.

This wasn't good at all.

Gazing absently down at her hand, she noted that the shape of Sasuke's mark had been burned into her palm, and it was still smoking nastily. She flexed her fingers, displeased with how much the simple action hurt, and pooled chakra to heal it.

It hissed and refused to mend at first, but finally gave in just a little. It no longer smoldered, but the scald remained a painful, ugly red. She settled for just numbing the nerves around it.

"Damn it," she growled, glaring at it.

If she'd had any doubts beforehand that Orochimaru had used a forbidden technique, they were all erased now. Only kinjutsu injuries could sustain medical treatment. It would probably take her a couple days to fix that accursed blister if she kept prodding it with chakra, and there was no telling how long it would be before it healed naturally.

Wonderful.

Sakura shot a glower at Sasuke before reminding herself that it wasn't his fault that psycho had decided to bite him. Sighing, she laid him back out beside Naruto and replaced the damp cloths on both of their foreheads that she'd had to use thick bandages for, their hitai-ate on the ground between them. The last of the water she'd gathered from the river nearly a kilometer away was used on Naruto's strip of cloth. Jaw clenching, she knew she'd have to cast another genjutsu over them and hope no one noticed it while she went to collect more water, but that would have to wait.

She was sure she'd sensed someone relatively nearby a little while ago.

Just in case, she refrained from scanning the area with chakra — it they were still in range, they might detect it, and she might need that chakra to defend her team.

No sooner than the thought crossed her mind, there came the rustling of leaves. Her eyes flew to the movement, and she saw it the instant it emerged from the bushes.

A squirrel.

She hesitated — but then she saw the thing on its back: a paper bomb.

Her instincts, it seemed, were as sharp as ever. That was a plus, if nothing else.

Unfortunately for the poor rodent, she had no time to save it. If she strayed from her teammates' sides, they'd be open for an assault — but she also couldn't let it come any closer.

With precise aim, she flicked a kunai into the ground barely a millimeter in front of its paws, and the squirrel squeaked in alarm. Scrambling to escape, it slid through the leaves and darted off with its tail fluffed out. There was no need to kill it; if the paper bomb didn't do the job, it might get lucky and have been tagged with one that was dysfunctional.

Sakura came dangerously close to attaching a chakra string to the knife and retrieving it before she remembered that the culprits behind that attack could probably see her. It wouldn't be a good idea to reveal her secrets to the enemy. She stayed crouched, hard gaze locked on the bushes, and she nearly chanced casting a chakra scan. She was certain they were directly in front of her.

She could practically _feel_ them debating whether or not to confront her. She made the decision for them.

"How many more hours are you going to sit there?" she sneered, pulling another kunai from her pouch and tapping the tip of the blade on the ground. "Come out and face me, or get lost."

She honestly wasn't surprised to see the three Oto-nin that had attacked Kabuto step out from the foliage. She knew they'd show up sooner or later after what Orochimaru said about paying Sasuke another visit if they could defeat his henchmen. It didn't mean that she was happy to see them, though.

"Been expecting us, have you?" the apparent leader, a guy covered in bandages, inquired.

"I figured you'd make an appearance by tomorrow at the latest," she replied coldly. "But it's a little disappointing that none of you had the decency to wait until Sasuke's awake." At their surprised looks, she scoffed. "That's obviously why you're here. Otherwise, Orochimaru wouldn't have promised to stop by again for another chat once we'd defeated you."

All three genin froze, eyes going wide.

"And judging by the stupid looks on your faces," she plowed on, undeterred, "he didn't bother to tell you that he'd confronted us — meaning he probably _also_ forgot to mention the mark he put on Sasuke's neck. So you know what I think?" She spun the ring of the kunai she was holding on her finger. "I think he sent you in to test whatever jutsu he put on Sasuke."

The leader of the trio stood incredibly still, while the guy behind him snarled something in outrage. The female glanced at the leader uncertainly, expression tight with what might have been worry. "Dosu…"

"We'll continue on as planned," the one called Dosu ground out, eyes narrowing on Sakura.

"I can live with that," the other male growled. "First, I'll kill this girl for that attitude, and then I'll kill that Sasuke guy no matter if he's awake or not."

Sakura slowly rose from her crouch, feet shuffling a few inches to evenly distribute her weight. She gripped her kunai threateningly. "Big talk. Can you back it up?"

Irked, the obvious hothead of the team leapt forward to lead the assault, his comrades right on his heels. Sakura retrieved two more knives from her pouch and flung them the instant they crashed through the genjutsu trap she'd set. All three staggered, and she regretted not placing a stronger one when the female Oto-nin quickly regained her senses.

Barely dodging the dagger aimed at her head, she lunged for the hothead and dragged him out of the illusion just as a kunai imbedded itself in his right shoulder. Dosu, having dispelled it a little more sluggishly, got his side sliced but was otherwise unhurt. Sakura didn't give them time to recover before throwing a kunai at a nearly invisible wire stretched across the tree behind them, releasing a volley of shuriken from either side.

"Zaku!" the girl yelled as three struck his hip in his attempt to hit the ground. She caught one across the cheek, but Dosu successfully avoided them all.

Sakura readied herself, sliding one foot back in a defensive stance and bringing both fists up, chakra already collecting for a vicious attack once they got within range. Dosu yanked back his sleeve and streaked toward her, preparing to swing out his arm and initiate what she suspected was the same thing he'd used on Kabuto to make him throw up. Zaku and the girl were slower to get to their feet, and they were still a couple yards away when Dosu reached his target. Sakura snapped back a fist and let it fly, and her opponent brought up his arm to block with some strange metal contraption.

She smirked. Wrong move.

But before her punch could connect, there came a cry of "Leaf Hurricane!" and a whirlwind of green spun out of nowhere, foot connecting with Dosu's jaw. Sakura hurriedly caught herself before she shattered his skull, stumbling right into Lee as he landed in front of her. He twisted and seized her shoulders, steadying her, and paying absolutely no attention to the two stunned Oto genin as Dosu was sent twirling head over feet into a tree.

"Are you uninjured, my youthful blossom?" Lee asked, eyes scanning her form anxiously.

"Lee?" she choked out, unable to do much more than gape at him for a moment. "What are you _doing_ here?"

He smiled broadly, turning to face what were now his enemies as well. "I shall always appear when you are in trouble," he said firmly, sounding serious rather than overzealous. "I promised to protect you with my life!" He not-so-subtly placed a familiar squirrel down by his sandals.

"And just who the heck are you?" Zaku sneered while his teammate helped Dosu up.

"I am Rock Lee," he replied steadily, "Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast."

Zaku snorted loudly, and Sakura was tempted to chuck a boulder at him. She stepped up to stand next to her comrade, fists clenching in anticipation.

"Thank you, Lee," she said, gaze locked on the genin opposite them. "But please don't waste your time protecting me."

"But—"

She shook her head, cutting him off. "I'm serious, Lee." She glanced at him with a half-smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I won't sit back and let you do all the work. It's my teammate they want, after all." Her expression sobered so that he'd understand that she wasn't kidding. "Just help me keep them both safe."

Lee stared at her for a long moment, then looked back at the unconscious forms of Sasuke and Naruto. He beamed, giving her what she was quickly beginning to suspect was his trademark thumbs-up, and proclaimed, "Very well, Sakura-san! Place your trust in me!"

"Dosu!" the female Oto-nin called, jaw clenched. "Are you alright over there?"

The bandaged shinobi climbed to his feet, giving his head a little shake as though to dislodge something, and didn't bother to reply. She evidently didn't like being ignored.

"You sure you're up for this?" she demanded.

He glared at her balefully. "Don't concern yourself with me, Kin," he bit out in a less than friendly tone. "I'll deal with the one in green. Zaku, you take care of the girl." His glare returned to her with full force. "And if you find yourself capable, Kin, perhaps you can handle Sasuke; being comatose as he is, surely it shouldn't test your abilities too heavily."

She scowled back and bared her teeth in a snarl.

Dosu approached Lee again, stopping barely twenty feet away, and Zaku shuffled to his right. Sakura sidestepped to meet him head-on, not for even a second worrying that her makeshift teammate would be in any trouble. She did, however, divert a fraction of her attention to Kin. There was no way she was letting her get past her.

Then, Zaku was attacking, and she had no more time to think.

He crouched in the blink of an eye and shoved his hands into the ground, and the dirt surrounding his palms suddenly inflated as if some kind of animal were tunneling just under the surface. Two identical paths of bloated earth shot toward her with shocking speed, and Sakura knew without hesitation that she didn't want it beneath her feet. She sprung forward and cleared the distance between them in a single bound. Zaku ducked as she struck out with a chakra enhanced fist, rolling to the side and bringing both hands up. She turned on her heel, elbow snapping back.

"Zankūha!" he yelled, and she had a split-second to see the tubes imbedded in his palms before they exploded with a solid wall of air. She instinctively blocked with her left forearm since she hadn't the tiniest hope of dodging at point blank range. The force of the blast shoved her over ten feet back as her boots dug deep grooves in the ground, and she felt the unmistakable splintering of her ulna — maybe even her radius, too. Swearing, she dove to the side before he could hit her with another jutsu and brought a glowing hand to her broken arm. The strip of wooden puppet arm, thankfully, was unharmed as her real limb had absorbed the brunt of the damage.

He eyed the green healing chakra as he lashed out with a kunai. "A medic?" he taunted, slashing again when she avoided the blade. When the tip opened a deep cut on her cheek, Sakura twisted out of his reach, pushing the bones back into place to seal the fracture. "They say that shinobi with no outstanding skills turn to medical ninjutsu."

Zaku went for her throat, and she slipped beneath his swipe to get right into his personal bubble. "They also say that only idiots try to piss off people that are stronger than them."

Before he could retort, she surprised him by pulling her hand away from her arm and smashing her fist in his face. He flew straight across the clearing and slammed against a tree amongst the undergrowth, her careful conservation of chakra the only reason why he hadn't gone _through_ said tree. By saving chakra, she'd sacrificed much of her usual power, but it had still been more than enough to knock him on his ass. Sakura whipped around took a threatening step toward Kin, who scrambled back from the advance she'd made on Sasuke upon seeing the raw power in that single punch. Eyes wide, the Oto-nin took a defensive stance.

Sakura chanced a look at Lee, dismayed to find him staggering to his knees. Dosu, at least, seemed a little roughed up as well, but Lee's bleeding ear didn't sit well with her. She glowered at Kin, body coiling for the offense.

"Make another move in their direction," she warned her counterpart lowly, "and this next punch will send you crashing all the way back to the gates."

Kin made no attempt to conceal her apprehension and instead openly stared at the energy pooling in her hand. Her fingers danced over the weapons pouch on her hip, hesitating. Sakura decided on impulse to change her tactics, hoping to catch the girl off-guard.

It worked.

She pushed out with her chakra, feeling for the whisper of Kin's mind, and found it with relative ease. Not giving her a chance to sense what she was doing, she wove a genjutsu around her senses and rapidly withdrew to let her stew. Kin stood there, staring into space, without even a suspicion that whatever she was seeing was an illusion.

If she'd done as good of a job as she thought, that technique would hold her for at least a few minutes, giving her plenty of time to finish off Zaku. As she was turning back to confront him, she paused.

Three chakra signatures crept within range and settled in the bushes on the edge of their field of battle. Her eyes narrowed.

_Ino._ She shook her head. _No, she can wait. She's not stupid enough to get in the middle of this. This is more important._

Zaku, to his credit, was back on his feet with a hand pressed to his doubtlessly broken nose. He scowled at her with a burning hatred as blood spilled between his fingers.

"You're gonna pay for that, you little witch," he snarled.

Sakura opened her mouth to make a snide reply, but she was cut off by a sharp yelp from Lee. Her eyes shot to him, and she watched as he fell, hands clamped over his ears. He vomited up whatever he'd eaten that day, eyes watering, wheezing. Not good.

"Zankūha!" Zaku bellowed.

Sakura leapt away before it could touch her, and with a swift glance to ensure that Kin was still distracted, she made a beeline for Lee. Dosu shot toward her, pulling his sleeve back from the strange metal gadget on his arm, and swung out his arm in a wide punch. She jerked her head back to avoid the blow, gaze scanning the unnamed contraption as it passed barely an inch from her nose.

Then, it spiked with chakra, and it suddenly occurred to her what had done Lee in.

"Shit," she grunted under her breath.

Just as his jutsu activated, she brushed her fingertips over her ears and prayed it would hold. When nothing happened for the first few seconds, she smirked. Dosu, startled, took an uncertain step back.

"Why didn't it work?" he murmured more to himself that her.

Sakura didn't catch what he said — she couldn't hear _anything_, in fact, thanks to the chakra seal she'd blocked up her external auditory canals with — but she could read his lips well enough. She'd taken a chance by deafening herself in the middle of a battle, but she'd just have to rely on her other senses; she couldn't afford to let his jutsu affect her.

Her fist flashed out, and Dosu dodged it by a hair. He flipped back and skidded to a halt several yards away, wide eyes wary. Unclogging her ears as it seemed he'd think twice before trying that again, she crouched down beside Lee but didn't look away from the Oto-nin.

"You three are from the Hidden Sound Village," she stated matter-of-factly, reaching out a glowing hand to her fallen comrade. "It only makes sense that you'd use jutsu having something to do with sound — and since your friend, there, can blast sound waves from the holes in his hands, I assumed that you could do the same from the holes on that shiny armguard you've got. It also explains why Lee's ears are bleeding, seeing as you ruptured his ear drum and all. Oh." She paused in her medical treatment and patted the green-clan shinobi's head. "This is Lee, by the way. In case you're interested. Anyway. We medic-nin have dozens of really cool tricks up our sleeves, including being able to stop sound from reaching our inner ears." She arched her eyebrows pointedly. "So, I hope you haven't shown me your entire hand, or you're out of luck."

She allowed the chakra to fade from her palm once she'd successfully mended Lee's tympanic membrane and shifted to stand, but a hand caught her own before she could. When she was sure Dosu and Zaku weren't moving, she looked down at Lee. His cheek was pressed into the ground, but he was gazing up at her with one, hazy eye.

"Sa…kura-san," he choked out, hardly seeing straight or thinking clearly after such a trauma dealt to his senses. His breathing was ragged, and he appeared to be passing out even as he spoke. "Be…careful…" His heavy lids closed, and the tension left his body.

Sakura's jaw clenched. He was hurt and now unconscious all because of her — because he was infatuated with her and would do anything to protect her. Something akin to guilt swirled in her stomach until she tightened with resolve.

No. This was Orochimaru's fault.

It was _his_ fault Lee was hurt. It was _his_ fault Naruto was knocked out. It was _his_ fault Sasuke was wringing with pain from that damned mark. It was _his_ fault she was going through this crap and battling his underlings. And if it was the last thing she did, she was going to show him just how much it all pissed her off with a nice, sweet punch to the face.

Leveling Dosu with a glare and casting an equally icy one at Zaku so he wouldn't feel left out, she rose and planted her feet in front of Lee. Kin, thankfully, hadn't yet managed to escape her genjutsu, so it was two-on-one rather than three-on-one. And now, she had three people to protect — but that was okay. She was good at protecting people.

Just like she'd be good at acting as _aniki's_ shield and tool.

"Let's get something straight," she ground out, making a show of channeling chakra to her fists. "Unless you choose to cut your losses and leave now, I'm going to beat the both of you into the ground before you can get past me to Sasuke, and _then_ I'm going to kick your head in — Dosu, was it? — for torturing Lee. And just so we're clear, even if you _do_ decide to run while you've got the chance, I'm _still_ going to kick your head in for Lee's sake. So take your pick."

Zaku glowered at her, teeth gritted, and his angry expression reminded her that she hadn't finish fixing her arm. Absently, she peered down at it. In all the excitement, she'd actually forgotten that it was only halfway healed — probably because her puppet-armguard kept it mostly in place.

"I was afraid that we'd stumble upon something like this."

Taken aback, Sakura's head whirled around to stare at the two genin who'd appeared in a nearby tree while she was distracted. From the way Zaku and Dosu started, it was clear they hadn't sensed them, either. Almost instantly, she recognized the newcomers as Lee's teammates, but their names escaped her.

Dosu grimaced. "They just keep crawling out like cockroaches." Apparently he, too, had noticed Ino's team hiding in the bushes.

The female on Lee's team murmured his name, looking worried. The male sized her up.

"Don't worry," Sakura assured them. "I healed him before he passed out, and I won't let him come to any further harm."

The girl smiled wryly. "Yeah. We heard what you said about kicking that guy's head in."

Zaku, finally reaching his boiling point, stopped all attempts to continue the conversation by unleashing another bout of his Slicing Sound Waves. Sakura reacted in a fraction of a second, scooping up Lee with her good arm and launching herself in her new allies' direction with a burst of chakra. She wasn't fast enough, however, to completely miss the jet of air, and she swore as she felt it all but shred her right leg. Stumbling to her left knee at the base of the tree, she deposited Lee safely behind her and clamped a chakra-filled hand on her freshest injury.

Lee's teammates dropped from the perch and secured him, the girl reaching out to Sakura. Before she could speak, Zaku's palms swiveled toward them, and the three tensed in preparation to leap out of the way.

Then, she felt it.

Her neck audibly cracked when her head snapped around to the source, and the motion nearly gave her whiplash. Lee's male teammate turned perhaps a heartbeat ahead of her, but there was at least a second's delay before the other three became aware of the dark, billowing chakra. And there, rising slowly to his feet in the middle of that ugly aura, was Sasuke.

She was rendered temporarily speechless, wide eyes taking in the inky, flame-like marks that had spread down the entirety of the right side of his body. They glowed a menacing red, as did his Sharingan. Steam hissed across his skin, and the black chakra surrounding him was powerful enough to be visible. His murderous stare locked onto hers between the bangs clinging to his forehead with sweat.

"Sakura," he growled, the mere sound of his voice ominous. "Who did this to you?"

Shocked, she didn't even register his demand. "Those marks," she whispered to herself.

That proved it. Orochimaru had implanted a forbidden jutsu in his body, and from the feel of the chakra radiating from her teammate, it wouldn't be wise to pick a fight with him while he was under its influence. God only knew what it would make him do.

"Sakura," he repeated, tone even lower and more dangerous. "Who was it?"

It occurred to her, then, what she must look like.

A deep, bleeding cut on her face. A heavily bruised, not-that-obviously broken arm. A leg covered in slashes and — well — lots of blood.

Her gaze flickered to the Sound genin. Dosu had gone incredibly pale beneath his bandages, Zaku didn't seem to grasp the severity of the situation so he just looked ticked, and Sasuke's menacing chakra had startled Kin out of her illusion. Almost as if to prove how stupid he was, Zaku had the audacity to talk back to his new, bloodlust-exuding opponent.

"That'd be me," he sneered, unconsciously wiping at his still-bleeding nose.

Instantly, Sasuke's savage glare shot to him, and his eyes narrowed as he turned his entire body to face the offender. To Sakura's disbelief, the sinister marks illuminated brighter and snaked their way to cover the other half of his figure, dulling to black once they settled in place.

"Don't get scared now, Dosu!" Zaku scoffed as he caught sight of his comrade shivering. "I'll destroy this brat in one shot!"

Dosu rounded on him in horror. "No, Zaku! You don't understand!"

It was too late.

Zaku aimed his palms in Sasuke's direction and spread his fingers wide. "Zankūkyokuha!"

An explosion of razor-sharp waves of sound decimated everything between him and the trees on the far side of the clearing. Sakura shrunk back, shielding her eyes with her good arm as the invisible wall erupted the ground just a foot in front of her. Lee's teammates turned their backs to protect their faces and formed a barrier around their fallen ally. When the wind died down, Zaku was huffing for air even as he smirked smugly. Both Sasuke and Naruto were gone.

"Hah!" he snorted. "Blown away!"

"Just who was blown away?"

He flinched, spinning incredulously, but Sasuke was faster. His arm was barely a flicker as he struck, sending Zaku crashing half a dozen yards away with a single blow to the shoulder. Undeterred, the Oto-nin used his momentum to roll back to his feet, only to come face-to-face with Sasuke's Phoenix Flower Jutsu. He deflected it with a quick Zankūha, but the shuriken hidden within the flames plowed onward and cut right through him. Yelling out, blocked his face with his arms.

"Zaku, behind you!"

Jerking to alertness, he missed Sasuke appearing below him and twirling right around him until he felt the pressure. Clenching both of Zaku's wrists in his hands, Sasuke slammed a foot on his back and grinned an unnatural, crazed grin.

"Heh. These arm of yours…you seem awfully…_attached_ to them."

"No, wait—!" Zaku cried.

He yanked, breaking the shinobi's arms with minimal effort. Zaku shrieked with pain, collapsing to the ground in an agonizing heap, and Sasuke just watched him with a dark sort of humor until the wounded genin finally passed out.

_Holy shit._ That was the only thing Sakura could think as she hurried to heal her leg as quickly as she could. _Holy shit._ Sasuke had gone off the deep end. Whatever that jutsu was, it had warped him into a ruthless machine fueled by vast amounts of power, and she needed to get up and knock some sense into him before he turned on her.

The medical chakra blazing in her palm dimmed for an instant before roaring back to life.

No. Sasuke wouldn't turn on her. Hadn't she heard him just a moment ago, demanding to know who had hurt her?

He wouldn't turn on her.

But that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.

"Great Kami-sama," Lee's female teammate whispered, throat clogged with fear.

Sakura cursed under her breath. Her leg was only halfway healed, but Sasuke was already switching his attention to Dosu and Kin. One look at them told her that they would bolt whether he attacked or not, so there was no need to let him at them — not stopping him would probably send him on a killing spree, if nothing else, and that wouldn't be good in the slightest.

He advanced one pace in Dosu's direction.

"Sasuke!" she snapped, forcing her voice as loud as it would go.

He halted. Dosu and Kin actually flinched at the sound, and Lee's comrades watched her warily. Slowly, almost too slowly, Sasuke's head turned until she could nearly see the profile of his face. He seemed to be waiting to hear what she had to say; had the situation not been so grim, she might have laughed.

"That's enough," she said in the flattest tone she could manage.

For the longest moment, none of them dared to breathe. Sasuke stood incredibly still, any reaction he'd had hidden. Sakura tensed in preparation to repeat her words with her fists. In the rigid silence, she finished mending her leg and placed her hand on the ground, ready to use it to push herself up if she needed to.

Sasuke never spoke. His marks alit with a chilling red-orange glow and slowly snaked their way back up to the original point of the jutsu on his neck until they disappeared completely. The second they were gone, he knees went out from under him.

Sakura jumped up, biting out a curse, and ran to him without hesitation. She dropped down beside him, forgetting all about her injured arm in favor of checking him over for nasty side effects from that mark. He sat there in the dust, eyes wide and shocked as if he couldn't believe what had happened, trembling like a leaf in the wind. She placed her hand on her forehead, and he recoiled from her, but when she repeated the action he didn't stop her. Once satisfied that he was fine, she absently repaired what little was left of the break in her ulna and allowed her gaze to drift to Dosu.

"Grab your idiot teammate, there, and beat it," she ordered.

He hesitated before taking a careful step forward. When no one made a move to rip him limb from limb, he took another step, then walked deliberately to Zaku. He bent over, making a show of easing his hand to the folds in his cloak and removing a scroll with the kanji for _chi_ painted across its front — an earth scroll.

"You're quite powerful, Sasuke," he said cautiously. "Too powerful, in fact, for us. As we are now, we have no hope of defeating you." Though still breathing heavily, Sasuke eyed him sharply. Sakura glowered at the Sound genin. "In exchange for our lives…" He set the scroll down and slid his arms around Zaku, hoisting him over his shoulder as he stood. "Please accept this gift. We will leave and cause you no further trouble." His head turned just so. "Kin."

The girl gave the tiniest of nods, and both shinobi retreated. When they vanished into the forest, Sakura let out a heavy breath and relaxed for the first time since the second stage had begun the previous day. She permitted herself to stay there for a short while longer before heaving herself to her feet and approaching the scroll. She snatched it up, examining it briefly for any tricks, then looked back to Sasuke. He just watched her silently, respiration eventually returning to its normal rate. Movement behind him caught her eye, and she glanced at Lee's teammates.

The girl appeared distinctly uncomfortable with Sasuke's presence, so she addressed Sakura. "Thank you," she murmured. "You healed Lee and protected him when those guys beat him senseless."

Sasuke froze, staring sightlessly at her, then at Lee's unconscious form.

"He came to help me when my team was down," Sakura replied. "Those Oto-nin had nothing to do with him, but he fought with me anyway. It was the least I could do."

The girl smiled. "He wouldn't stop talking about you after the last time we met," she commented softly. "Sakura-san, right?"

She inclined her head. The brunette smiled. "I'm Tenten, and this is Neji." Her eyes crinkled closed. "I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot of one another in the future. Good luck."

Neji nodded to her, darting one last look at Sasuke before securing Lee and leaving with Tenten. Sakura sighed, suddenly recalling that Ino's team had been hiding in the bushes. She reached out her senses to feel for them, but they had already ran off. Even such a simple technique required more effort than she would've liked, drilling home the fact that she was unnervingly low on chakra.

A quiet groan attracted her attention to where Sasuke had deposited Naruto when he carried him away from Zaku's sound wave attack. She strolled leisurely toward him, massaging the sore muscles in her arms and crouched at his side. He stirred but didn't wake until she prodded him a half dozen times. It figured he'd come to as soon as the fighting was done.

"Naruto," she said. "Come on, Naruto, get up."

He moaned, dragging an arm across his eyes. "Ten more minutes, Sakura-chan…"

She rolled her eyes skyward. "_Now_, Naruto."

He huffed drowsily, turning over onto his stomach. She gave up for the time being and returned to Sasuke's side. He studied her face while she arched both of her eyebrows, expression clearly demanding that he get moving before she made him. Just as she opened her mouth to verbally accentuate her wishes, he cut her off.

"What did you do to your hair?" he asked bluntly.

Sakura stared at him blankly for well over a minute, not comprehending what he was getting at. Clearly seeing her struggle, he swiped two fingers just below his left cheek. Nonplussed, she continued to look at him as if he might give her more hints. When he gave none, she reached up the same way he had to see if that led to any revelations.

She frowned. "What are you—"

The words died in her throat as she went utterly still. Afraid she was hallucinating, she fumbled around for the familiar feeling of her hair. There it was — but what the hell was it doing there? She didn't remember doing anything to it.

And then it hit her.

She hands flew to the hitai-ate on her right thigh. The metal band wasn't a perfect mirror, but it reflected basic shapes and colors well enough to serve her purpose, so she held it out from the left side of her face, watching it from the corner of her eye. She saw it. A red line traced her cheek less than an inch above her jaw — the cut she'd gotten from Zaku's kunai — and the bangs on her left side were gone from below that point. His attack had chopped off her hair in that section at approximately chin length.

Shock and fury coursed through her with energy that rejuvenated her. How _dare_ that asshole cut off her hair after she'd decided to let it grow out until she made up her mind about how to deal with befriending (and eventually abandoning) her teammates?

It was replaced a moment later with calm and acceptance. He'd had no idea what significance her hair had held. And even if he had, he was her enemy; why would he care? Besides, she told herself, it hadn't been that important anyway. Prematurely cutting her hair didn't change her mind one way or another.

Abruptly, Naruto shot up out of the dirt with a shriek. She jumped and Sasuke's head whipped around. Naruto whirled in circles, eyes wide as he fumbled for a kunai.

"Where is he?!" he yelled, looking in every which direction. "That creepy guy with the tongue — where'd he go?!"

Sakura let out another sigh, wanting nothing more than to just sleep for a week or two. "He's gone, Naruto," she deadpanned. "You've been out for hours — it's not even the same day anymore."

He blinked at him, slowly relaxing, then frowned. "What the heck happened to your hair, Sakura-chan?"

She grimaced. "Don't ask."

His eyebrows furrowed. "But it looks kinda…"

Before he could continue, she clenched her jaw and gathered her hair in one hand. With the other, she grabbed a kunai and sawed off the rest of the long locks to relatively match the new length. He gaped at her, and even Sasuke seemed a little startled — or as startled as he ever did.

"There," she intoned flatly. "Done." She slid her weapon back into the holster and turned, leaving all the pale pink hair she'd just severed lying on the ground. She tied her headband in a tight knot in its usual place on her right thigh. "Now, let's go. We can't stay here, so we need to find someone else to rest for a while before continuing."

Bewildered, Naruto didn't budge even as Sasuke finally climbed to his feet. "Continue where? And where's my hitai-ate?" he added when he discovered it to be missing.

"Oh. Right."

She rummaged around in the pouch above her backside, belatedly hoping she hadn't broken anything in it. Thankfully, everything seemed to be in one piece. She retrieved both his and Sasuke's headbands and tossed them to them. They secured them in place automatically, and Sakura held something else up for their inspection — two things, actually.

"As for where we're going after we take a break," she replied, showing off the heaven scroll that she'd managed to keep away from Orochimaru and their new earth scroll from the Oto-nin, "we're getting out of here."

.

.

.

Sakura was tired when they finally made it to the tower in the center of the Forest of Death, but she was also relieved that this part of their exam was over. They'd spent the entirety of the second day sleeping, finding something to eat and drink, and recovering their chakra. Sasuke and Naruto had been ready to go a few hours before Sakura, but they'd still waited for her sake since she'd expelled her energy defending them. Early in the morning on the third day, they'd made a straight shot for the tower, occasionally avoiding other teams and a multitude of disconcertingly large animals, but they fortunately encountered no real trouble. It was now nearing midday as they stumbled inside, and they each picked a place on a wall to lean their weight against for a few moments.

Once satisfied, the three looked around. The room they'd entered was surprisingly empty save for a large plaque on one wall. It was clearly meant to be read. She caught both of her teammates' eyes and nodded to it, and Naruto took it upon himself to read it aloud.

" 'If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher. If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body in the fields and prepare to attack. When both Heaven and Earth are opened together, the path of peril with revert to the righteous path forever. This…_something_…is the secret way that guides us on from this place today. Signed, the Third Hokage." He was silent for all of two seconds. "…what the hell does that mean? And what's with the blank space in the fourth sentence?"

"It's a poem," Sakura stated, pointing out the obvious. "The first two lines are just something philosophical, I'd guess, but the third line says 'when Heaven and Earth are opened together'." She turned to Sasuke, who'd been given the scrolls to hold onto earlier in the day. "Clearly, it means to open the scrolls."

"That's it?" Naruto questioned as Sasuke pulled out the scrolls. "It's seriously that easy?"

She shrugged.

"We're about to find out," Sasuke deadpanned.

He tossed her the one marked 'heaven' and slid his thumb along the seal of the earth document. Naruto squeezed between them as they both prepared to open them. They all exchanged a glance, then the two holding scrolls unraveled them.

Immediately, Sakura recognized the writing they contained, and Sasuke's expression said he did, too. Simultaneously, they threw them across the room, ignoring Naruto's confused objections. He fell quiet as soon as the parchment began smoldering, and they each tensed when a cloud of smoke burst from them.

When a person appeared before them, he put two and two together.

"Iruka-sensei!" he cried. "Why the heck did you pop out of summoning scrolls?!"

The chunin grinned. "Long time no see," he greeted. "You're all looking a little worse for the wear."

"Is this part of the exam?" Sasuke demanded suspiciously.

"We chunin were assigned teams to greet at the tower, and I got you guys," he explained. "Congratulations. You've just passed the second stage." Before he could go on, Naruto leapt at him and latched on with one of his signature hugs.

"We did it!" he shouted victoriously. "Yeah!"

"I wasn't finished—" Iruka tried, but Naruto wasn't listening.

"We did it, we did it, we did it!" he whooped, jumping all around and throwing his fists in the air.

Sakura wondered bitterly where he'd gotten so much energy — then remembered the small bottle of soldier pills in her pouch that she had yet to open. Damn. Why hadn't she thought to use those earlier?

Iruka smiled warmly. "You haven't changed a bit, Naruto," he laughed.

"Is that it, then?" Sakura inquired. "You pat us on the back for a job well done and ship us off for the third stage?"

"Well," he hedged, "I've got something to tell you three before you go on. And besides that, the allotted five days aren't over yet, so you'll actually be staying here in the tower until then."

"You're explaining the poem on the wall, I presume?" She motioned to it. "Since it's missing a word, that's probably what you have to tell us, right?"

"That's right," he agreed, smiling at the indicated passage. "The Sandaime wrote that. It's our way of the shinobi — for us chunin, that is." He fixed them with a stern look. "And it'll be your nindo as well if you pass this exam."

Taking the bait, Naruto piped up, "So, what does it mean?"

Iruka had obviously been waiting for that invitation to elaborate. "In this poem, 'Heaven' is your mind and 'Earth' is your body. 'If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher.' So if, say, Naruto's weakness is his mind, then he must gain wisdom and knowledge to strengthen it."

The blond scowled at him. "What the heck are you trying to say, huh?" Iruka ignored him.

" 'If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body in the fields and prepare to attack.' If Sakura's weakness is her body," — she shot him a burning glare at the perceived insult — "then she has to train physically to fix that. And if you possess strength of both Heaven and Earth, then even the most difficult missions will be a piece of cake."

"And the last sentence — with the blank space?"

"What goes in that spot," the chunin said, "is the description of what a chunin should be. It's _jin_ — 'one person' or 'all people'." He assumed his usual teaching pose from the academy with one hand on his hip and the other with a single finger raised. "Chunin are commanders, and they are responsible for their leading teams. Without both physical and mental power, chunin cannot accomplish this, so I implore you to remember what I've told you when you go on to the next part of this test." He released a weary breath. "And that's it. That's the entire message."

"And if we'd opened the scrolls during the test?" Sasuke interrogated, looking as if he already knew the answer. "What would you have done?"

The brunette gave a dry smile. "Sharp as always, Sasuke. If you'd broken the rules and opened the scrolls, or even just one scroll, before you got to the tower, I'd be forced to knock you out until the test is over." He beamed. "So it's a good thing you didn't open it, huh?"

Naruto averted his eyes, uncomfortable.

It probably had something to do with the fact that he'd suggested they do just that less than an hour earlier.

Iruka made to walk toward the door opposite the one Team Seven had entered by. "If that's all the questions you have, then come on. I don't have much time before the summoning jutsu ends."

Naruto saluted overzealously. "Yes, sir!"

When Iruka just stood there watching him, Naruto's hand fell.

He sighed. "But about the third exam…don't overdo things. Especially you, Naruto… I worry about you."

Naruto met him gaze with a challenging stare. "The day I got this hitai-ate, I stopped being a student, so you don't have to worry about me, Iruka-sensei." The chunin's eyebrows flew all the way up behind his headband. Even Sasuke seemed a little surprised. "It's proof that I'm not a kid anymore, and I got it from you. I'm a full-fledged shinobi now."

The corners of Sakura's lips quirked up. Naruto never ceased to amaze her.

"I see," Iruka finally forced out. Though he smiled, there was still something sad about the way he was looking at Naruto. "Then…I suppose I should show you the room you're being permitted to use until the end of the fifth day."

.

.

.

"Why did you stop me?"

Sakura glanced at Naruto sleeping on a bedroll, limbs akimbo and mouth gaping with thunderous snores, before she looked at Sasuke. Like her, he was finding it difficult to sleep; after two and a half days of only resting when someone else was on watch, the transition was understandably rough, even if it was nearing nine o'clock at night. Naruto, however, hadn't had any trouble at all — he could sleep through a war.

She considered his question from where she sat cross-legged on the concrete floor. "How much do you remember from the fight?" she asked, holding off on answering him.

"All of it," he replied blandly. "Those three were planning on killing you. Why did you stop me?"

"Actually," she deflected, "they were planning on killing _you_."

He twitched, startled. In all the chaos of trying to reach the tower in one piece, the genin of Team Seven hadn't spoken much — or at all, really — about what had happened. Sasuke had just requested that she not tell Naruto about Orochimaru's "parting gift," and she'd so far agreed to it.

She derived a small amount of satisfaction from the blatant shock on Sasuke's face. He wasn't even trying to hide it.

"Orochimaru sent them," she continued, watching him tense up further. "He also didn't tell them about…" She touched the side of her neck meaningfully. "I'm pretty sure he was testing to see how well that jutsu he put on you worked. And as for why I stopped you…" She shrugged. "Orochimaru sent them in knowing they'd probably be torn apart. You scared the shit out of them and did a number on the moron that wasn't scared of you, so I figured that was enough." She arched her eyebrows pointedly. "Unless you _wanted_ to kill them?"

He said nothing for a very long time, eyes boring into hers as though searching for lies.

"If they were after me," he murmured, "why were you injured so extensively?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Because I wasn't about to let them at you, especially considering your condition. Obviously."

It was then, as he was staring at her, that it dawned on her exactly what she'd just said.

She hadn't thought twice about whether or not to protect Naruto and Sasuke, and later Lee. She'd made up her mind to be their human shield the instant she came face-to-face with those genin from Sound. Why was she so attached to them? Every time she tried to pull away, they'd always sucked her back in without her knowing until it was too late.

This was like when she'd witnessed her two clones in the Land of Waves arguing with one another during a midnight training session. When she'd first realized that her personalities were battling one another. When she'd decided that her hair wouldn't be cut until she had an answer.

And then she knew.

Whether she liked it or not, all three of her cellmates had burrowed their way in too deeply for her to scoop them back out. They were a part of her life now, and regardless of when she inevitably left to find _him_, they would forever change the person she was. She wouldn't ever forget them. Hell, she might even _miss_ them — Naruto, she definitely would, but the other two were still a little iffy at the moment.

However, even if it meant she never saw them again, she would still choose _him_.

But she would take what she could get. She could afford to let them in.

Because she trusted them with her life.

"We're a team, Sasuke," she said more quietly. "I trust all of you, and I hope you all trust me. I've got your backs so long as you've got mine." She never blinked. "Have you got my back?"

He nodded. She smiled. "Then don't worry."

Without further ado, she grabbed one of the two unoccupied bedrolls and stretched out by the door, a faint rustling indicating that Sasuke had taken his cue as well. She settled down, blew out the wick floating in a dish of oil that served as the only light, and relaxed in the darkness. After a few minutes had passed and Naruto's snores had quieted down to dull breathing, she closed her eyes.

"He's not actually my brother."

She got no reply, but she knew Sasuke was listening.

"He found me when I was six years old," she whispered. "I was nothing — a nobody. I wasn't particularly good at anything except studying, and the girls in our class used to throw rocks at me. But one day, he was there, and he promised to help me become strong if I could be useful to him. So that's what I'm doing; I'm training to become strong so that I can leave this village and track him down someday, and I'll show him that I wasn't a waste of his time. I'll be his weapon and his shield, and I'll make him proud of me."

The silence carried on for many heartbeats, and she wondered for a brief second if he had fallen asleep until he spoke.

"Why do you call him your brother?"

She hummed. "My parents died when I was little on a mission to some foreign land, so I lived in an orphanage until he came by. He pretended to be my long-lost older brother so that they'd let me leave with him, and he rented an apartment for us. He even left a bunch of money for the rent after he left to tide me over for the next year. He took care of me for four years, and he was posing as my brother the entire time, so I guess I just…got into the habit of it."

"Who was he?"

She shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see it. "I don't know. He told me his name, but that was it, and I didn't ask about anything else. He came from another village, but that's all I know."

Sasuke fell silent again.

Then:

"My brother massacred my entire family except for me. I'm training to gain the power I need to leave Konoha, find him, and kill him someday." He paused. "But before I kill him…I'm going to ask him why."

Sakura smiled, eyes remaining closed. "Will his answer affect whether or not you kill him?"

By way of replying, he ground out, "The night I found him standing over our parents' bodies, I asked why he'd done it. He said it was to test the limits of his abilities."

"And you didn't believe him. Or, at least, you don't now." She didn't wait for confirmation; she knew she was right. "Why do you think he lied to you?"

She could practically hear his jaw clenching. "He had a reason for everything," he said flatly. "A legitimate reason — not something ridiculous like 'testing the limits of his abilities'. He was probably bribed by dignitaries from some other country who wanted the Uchiha Clan gone, or something else like that; he hated our family for as long as I could remember, but I know he'd wait for an actual excuse before killing them."

"You didn't answer my first question," she prompted softly when he gave no indication of continuing.

He was quiet. Perhaps he didn't want to answer.

"I don't really care what his reason was," he finally grunted. "If he gives me the names of specific people who put him up to it, I might kill them, too, but that's not why I'm going to ask him. I want him to tell me the truth because our family deserves something better than 'to test the limits of his abilities'."

Sakura nodded to herself, understanding.

"And what will you do afterwards?"

His hesitation was longer this time. "I don't know."

"Well, then," she murmured, "once you've achieved your goal, why don't you come back to the village?"

He made a sound that was neither positive nor negative.

"If you don't know what to do, just rely on Naruto. He'll give you a reason to keep going."

"Is that what you plan to do?"

Her grin died a little. "Once I leave," she said softly, "I won't ever be coming back unless he's with me or he dies."

It got quiet.

She burrowed deeper into her thin bedroll for warmth. "Good luck, Sasuke. I hope he answers your question when you find him."

Sasuke grunted, rolling over to face Naruto's direction.

Before she drifted off, she was certain she heard him mutter, "You, too."

.

.

.

Though Anko had oh-so-confidently informed the genin that she would cut down their numbers by at least half, she was still surprised at how many actually made it. Seven teams had survived the Forest of Death — twenty-one applicants that were carrying on to the third stage. In the years she'd been a proctor for the Chunin Exams, when they were held in Konoha, the highest she had ever seen pass her test was four teams. She'd expected three at the most from this group, as the average was somewhere between that and two. Seven cells was unheard of. It was even more shocking, perhaps, that four were from Konoha and three were rookies.

_We've got a good batch this year,_ she thought to herself with a grin.

She nearly missed her cue when she busied herself with smirking sadistically at the remaining genin. Luckily, she caught the end of what the Sandaime was saying just in time.

"Alright, all of you, listen up!" she barked into the microphone headset she wore. She took pride in the fact that many of them flinched. "The Hokage will now explain to you to rules of the third exam." She looked to him, and he nodded.

As he began to speak, Sakura did the exact opposite of Anko's orders. She didn't pay a shred of attention to what he was saying except when she took a second to confirm that he was discussing politics and philosophy. Instead, she studied the other twenty-six shinobi who'd survived the second stage.

On the far right stood the team of Oto-nin she'd fought — the only team from Oto this year, if memory served correctly. They were looking a little rough, what with Zaku's arms crossed in a single sling and the glowers they were shooting her. They'd most likely made it to the tower on the fifth day, and with the third test being held the following day, they were undeniably worn out. She doubted she had anything to fear from them; she knew their techniques except for Kin's, Zaku probably couldn't use his, and she could effectively counter Dosu's. The only downside was that they were aware of some of her skills, as well: medical jutsu, genjutsu, and enhanced strength — though they didn't know just how enhanced said strength was. It was probably a good thing she'd refrained from hitting Zaku with a fully-charged chakra punch, even if part of her wished she had.

Beside them was the Suna team they'd encountered the day Kakashi gave them their applications. The taller of the two males, whose name she recalled being Kankuro, was a puppet master. He kept his main weapon — Karasu, the blond on his team had called it — strapped to his back. He, more than most of the applicants, she was hoping to fight. The shorter male, called Gaara, she also wanted a chance to battle. She hadn't sensed him at all when he'd appeared that day to berate his comrades for causing trouble, and she could feel a powerful chakra about him. He'd be a good candidate to test her strength — because, to be honest, she didn't know how she'd fair against him. And on top of all that, all three of them appeared well-rested. They'd finished the second exam early.

Third from the right was Kabuto's team, but she didn't care much about them. Kabuto, perhaps, would be a challenge, but his cellmates didn't interest her. They'd just stood in the background the entire time when Kabuto was attacked by the Oto-nin before the first test, and they didn't make an impression now. Judging by their appearance, they'd probably finished the same day as her team or the day after.

Next came Neji, Lee, and Tenten. The green-clad genin kept glancing back at her, then at Sasuke, as did Tenten. Neji, at the least, was completely focused on the Hokage. Sakura would be lying if she said she didn't want an opportunity to fight each of them. They, too, looked to have finished around the same time.

Her team stood to their left, Kiba and Hinata's beside them. She didn't know the third one's name, and he seemed to keep to himself. This was another team she didn't have much interest in, except _maybe_ Kiba — she'd have to think about that one. They appeared just as rested as the Suna-nin despite the fact that they kept shooting said Suna-nin wary looks.

And, finally, on the end was Ino's team. Aside from waiting for the chance to get Ino back for invading her mind during the first exam, she was pretty sure she'd like to fight Shikamaru. Ever since their academy days, his intelligence had been through the roof. She wanted to see how she'd fair against a genius under pressure. At the moment, though, he was looking pretty stressed. Out of all the teams, theirs was clearly the least energetic. No doubt a last-minute finish.

Sakura's attention finally returned to the front when a special jonin appeared. He introduced himself as Gekko Hayate, then proceeded to cough all over the front row. Naruto cringed, wiping invisible germs off of him, and she was thankful that she stood at the back of her team.

"Um," he murmured so quietly that they could hardly hear him, "before the third exam begins, there's something you have to do… That is…um, it's a preliminary. To decide who goes on to the third exam…" He also had the annoying habit of pausing and saying "um," it seemed.

"What?" Shikamaru grouched. "Why can't we just go on to the third exam?"

"Um…because the first and second exam this year…um, they may have been too easy…" He trailed off for a moment to cough and hack again. "As Hokage-sama said earlier, there'll be many shinobi watching the fights, and we don't have enough time…there's, um, too many of you…" He shifted his weight. "So, um…anyone who doesn't feel up to it can…quit now…because we'll be beginning the preliminaries immediately."

"Immediately?!" Kiba yelled. "After what we just went through?!"

He received no reply, and a second later, Kabuto's hand rose. "I'm out," he announced rather cheerfully.

Naruto looked over at him, shocked.

"Um, you're Yakushi Kabuto from Konoha, correct?" Hayate asked, checking a clipboard. "You may leave." He coughed into his fist. "Does anyone else wish to forfeit?"

No one responded as Kabuto walked out. Sakura watched him every step of the way, eyes narrowed. He'd said this was his seventh time applying — and with that kind of attitude, she could see why. But it didn't make sense. Why disqualify himself when he should be determined to finally pass the test?

Just as Hayate was making the final call, Sasuke flinched and grabbed the back of his neck. Sakura automatically placed her palm over his and numbed the nerves around the mark. He glanced back at her, and she offered a grim smile.

"I can't do anything about that," she whispered, making sure Naruto didn't hear her since he'd asked her not to tell him. "While you were unconscious, I tried to seal it, but it didn't work. You'll have to get someone else to do it, and it needs to be soon. But, at the very least, I can stop it from hurting you."

His lips pressed into a hard line. He wasn't sure he wanted her interfering with the mark Orochimaru had placed on him. Truth be told, he might…_want_ the power it possessed. Evidently reading this on his face, her voice dropped even further in volume.

"Sasuke," she murmured, "get it sealed. I mean it. That's a forbidden jutsu, and no matter how strong it makes you when it's activated, it also damages your body. Use it too many times, and God only knows what'll happen." Her eyes burned a hole through the collar of his shirt. "Just now, when I deadened the nerve endings in that area, I could feel it. That mark is feeding off of your chakra, and it's infecting your chakra pathways. If you don't get it sealed, it'll just make it worse."

"If I still have the time to achieve my goal before it gets out of hand," he argued quietly, "I have to consider using it."

Her tone was fiercer this time. "Sasuke," she hissed, "that thing is _not_ your power. It's Orochimaru's, and if you use it to kill your brother, you won't have killed him at all. _Orochimaru_ will have, and you will _never_ be able to change that. Is that what you want?"

He wavered.

"Do you remember what happened when you woke up to find those Oto-nin?" His eyes flashed, and for a heartbeat she thought his Sharingan might activate. "Was that you or the mark that did all of that? No, _think_," she insisted when he opened his mouth to say something. "And think hard. Were you actually in control, or was _it_?"

He deflected her words. "I can control it if I want to."

Before she could reply, there was an electronic noise, and they both looked up. A screen on the far wall displayed in large letters, "Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akado Yoroi".

The jonin called Hayate announced, "Um, the two participants in the first fight are Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi. Please come to the front. All others, proceed up the stairs to your right and watch the match from the landing above."

Sakura grabbed his shoulder before he could go, leaning in to murmur close to his ear so as not to be overheard. He paused, not pulling away, waiting for her to speak.

He was listening to her. He was beginning to trust her. She took that as a good sign.

"You're right, Sasuke," she told him quietly. "I may have told you to stop back in the Forest of Death, but you _chose_ to listen to me. You didn't have to; you could've just ignored me and reduced them to a bloody smear on the ground." She met his gaze seriously, making sure he understood. "Whatever that thing is, you _can_ control it if you want to. So I'm asking you to control it."

He studied her for a moment, then gave a slight nod. When he turned to walk away, she didn't stop him. She stared at the spot where she knew his collar hid the mark.

Naruto shot her a questioning look, so she lied absently, "I told him to aim for an injury I spotted on that guy when we came in."

The blond frowned uncertainly as he led the way up the stairs to the second level. "Isn't that…I dunno, kinda fighting dirty?"

"Why do you think they're pitting us against one another so soon?" she answered instead. He blinked, leaning his elbows against the railing. "They're trying to weed out the weaker ones among us. Anyone with serious enough injuries from the Forest will be eliminated."

"What are we discussing?" Kakashi chimed in as he appeared behind them, face open and friendly.

"Naruto thinks it's unfair to attack injuries your opponent already has."

The jonin glanced at him, visible eyebrow raised. "I agree that it's polite not to exploit your enemy's weaknesses, but what if not doing so gets you killed and in turn hurts your village?"

Naruto grimaced. "Alright, alright, I get it. But I still don't like it."

Sakura bumped his shoulder with hers. "That's because you're kind. You don't like hurting others unless there's a good reason." She smiled. "The shinobi rules say that we can't ever show emotion because it weakens us and will get us killed, but the guys that wrote those rules forgot something important."

He teammate looked at her curiously. "What?"

"They forgot that one day, a kid with blond hair and an unhealthy obsession with ramen would be born, and that he'd be able to kick all kinds of ass no matter how much emotion he showed. An embarrassing mistake on their part."

Naruto's grin was huge and bright as he squeezed her into a hug that nearly cut off her oxygen supply. Behind her, Kakashi beamed with pride.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," the blond said.

Hearing how happy he was made her recall something that wouldn't make him so happy. She'd procrastinated long enough; it was something he had to know.

When he finally pulled back to watch Sasuke's fight, she leaned on the railing beside him. "Naruto, there's something I have to tell you," she murmured. His blue eyes were clear and unsuspecting. "When this is over, we need to talk, okay?" He nodded.

"Sure thing."

She focused her attention on the three figures below just as Hayate spoke. "Begin."

.

.

.

Sasuke's match went well, all things considered. For one, he managed to keep that mark from acting up. He also managed to keep his opponent from draining all of his chakra, even if he did surrender a large chunk of it. And though he looked like hell at the end, he still won in less than two minutes.

When the medical corps appeared to take away the thoroughly beaten Yoroi, they tried to take Sasuke, too, but Kakashi intervened with an ominous, "You have no idea what you'd be getting yourselves into. I'll handle him." Despite that, Sasuke kicked up a fuss, and after promising to go with him when the preliminaries were over, his sensei allowed him to stay and watch the other fights. To be safe, Sakura discreetly healed the few injuries he'd acquired, much to Kakashi's approval.

While Naruto was distracted, she glanced at the jonin and asked, "How good are you at sealing techniques?"

He seemed surprised for a second before looking to Sasuke. "Good enough."

Relieved, Sakura sighed.

The next fight was the Oto-nin with two broken arms, Zaku, against Aburame Shino — the third member of Kiba's team whose name she hadn't known. Zaku's arms, it turned out, were less broken than he let on.

Not that it really mattered. He still lost.

She paid close attention to the third fight — Kankuro and the last genin from Kabuto's team, apparently named Tsurugi Misumi. To her disappointment, Kankuro won quickly without revealing anything she didn't already know.

Then came _her_ fight.

Sakura stared at the screen, making sure she was reading it correctly. Her opponent, it seemed, would be Ino. An easy fight, but one she'd been anticipating.

Her mind was her most sacred domain. She was safe there; it was strictly _hers_, and no one else could go there. Within her mind, she was free to do and be whatever she wanted. She could be with her parents. She could be with _him_. She could have both him and her teammates.

She could be _happy_.

And Ino had invaded her mind, had stomped all over her haven and tried to manipulate her.

Some part of her understood that Ino hadn't intended something like that. She knew the girl only wanted to use her eyes to see her answer sheet and pass the first exam, but it was so much more than that to Sakura. She felt naked. Her safe place was no longer safe.

And it scared her.

"Alright, Sakura-chan," Naruto chirped, giving her a thumbs up. "You've got this! Go get her!"

Lee, who'd crept over to them at some point, mirrored Naruto's stance. "Fight with the power of youth, Sakura-san!"

Kakashi smiled at her, while Sasuke merely gave a curt nod.

But it was that nod that did it.

The instant she looked at him, it hit her what she'd told Sasuke. She'd asked him to control himself.

And now she was about to go out there and beat Ino senseless for something the kunoichi probably didn't realize had upset her so badly.

What kind of hypocrite was she? If Sasuke could keep a handle on Orochimaru's mark, then surely she could reign in her anger at Ino — let it go, even — and give her a real fight. She remembered a time years ago, before _he_ came, when she'd looked up to Ino and thought her to be the coolest person she'd ever seen. She'd wanted to be friends with her, to be _like_ her someday.

When had that changed? Maybe it was when she made friends with Naruto and saw Ino picking on him like all the others. But she could hardly hold that against her — they'd been six years old. And she couldn't really blame her for using her mind possession technique during the first exam; it was the smart thing to do. Who knew? Maybe they _could_ be friends someday.

So she let it go. She let it all go, took a deep breath, and walked down the stairs to face her.

Ino, for her part, was looking a little nervous — probably because of the way Sakura had shoved her out of her mind the last time they'd encountered one another. Hayate glanced between them.

"Are you both ready?"

He went entirely ignored.

"I see you cut your hair," Ino observed absently. She clearly hadn't noticed when it happened.

Sakura raised her voice to make sure the girl — and, inadvertently, everyone else in the room — heard her. "That asshole from Oto with the two broken arms sliced part of it off in the second stage, so I had to even it out." She cracked a humorless smile. "It looks like shit now, but at least it doesn't get in the way. I kind of like it, actually."

Ino didn't reply, eyes seeming a little nervous.

"You remember when we were back in the academy?" she prompted. "When we were little? You used to be my idol. I wanted to be just like you."

Taken aback, Ino's face flushed bright red. "W-what?" she stammered.

"We've come a long way from there," Sakura continued, "and we haven't been on the best of terms lately. So let me make something clear." One corner of her lips twisted up into a grin. "Come at me with everything you've got. If you pull even one punch, you'll seriously offend me, because I'm not going easy on you. Make me respect you — and we'll see where it goes from there."

Ino gaped, her mouth having fallen open minutes earlier. When she finally recovered her senses, she smirked. "Alright, _Forehead Girl_," she challenged. "You asked for it."

The insult bounced right off of her. Hayate, obviously detecting the mood, declared that they could begin.

They both sprung forward as soon as the word left his mouth. Ino swung out her fist, but even at top speed, she was no match for Sakura; she hadn't had the agility training her counterpart had. Sakura ducked, nearly a blur in Ino's eyes, and slammed her heel right in the middle of the blond's sternum.

Ino was sent flying across the arena and slammed into the wall beneath the catwalk where the other genin were gathered, cracks spider webbing across the concrete. There was a collective gasp from her teammates and a couple others as Ino crumpled to the ground. She coughed, blood bubbling to her lips, but nevertheless forced herself to her feet.

Sakura gave a small smile at that. She hadn't been lying when she said she was holding nothing back, but she had lessened the chakra in her kick a bit; if she'd knocked her straight through the wall, any future opponents would keep from coming within fifty feet of her during battle.

Ino coughed again, stumbling and grasping at her chest. When she didn't fall, she steadied herself and flung a handful of shuriken in Sakura's direction. Sakura easily deflected them, whipping out a kunai. Ino launched another barrage, which she batting aside with her knife. The instant the throwing stars blocked her line of vision, though, Ino snapped up her hands in a distinctive seal. Sakura didn't see it until it was almost too late and leapt away, Ino halting her jutsu when she was it would almost certainly fail. Instead, she switched to a transportation technique at the last second and appeared directly behind Sakura with her leg already arching out in a wide roundhouse.

Sakura dropped to the floor and slid beneath her, kicking her other leg out from under her. Before Ino could fall on top of her, she twisted up to stand and caught her in a headlock. Ino froze, swearing.

"Now, you felt how hard I hit you," Sakura said rather pleasantly. "I don't plan on snapping your neck, but we both agree that I could with minimal effort, yes?"

Ino struggled to nod.

"In other words, you'd already be dead if I was an enemy."

Another nod.

"So call the match, or I knock you out."

Ino jabbed her elbow into Sakura's gut, a move that made her grin. Turning, Sakura slammed her to the ground and held her down with one knee on her chest.

"You did it," she murmured just before she hit a pressure point on the blond's neck. "You made me respect you."

Hayate called the match as she stood, and she smiled up at her team. With her and Sasuke's fights out of the way, they were nearly through; Naruto was the only one left, and she hadn't the slightest doubt that he would win.

They were almost there — just a little bit more. Then, she and Naruto would have that talk, and whatever happened after that would happen. She was ready for anything.

And for the first time in so many years, Sakura felt really good.

* * *

_You're nearly there now; the end is within reach._

_Stretch out a bit further for those last few feet,_

_But take heed, for the water is deep._


	13. Ostracization

Hello, again! I'm sorry, for the thousandth time, that it took so long to get this chapter out — but you know how it is. Life happens.

Anyways.

This is another long chapter, and let me tell you, it was really hard to write. I was torn between "Everyone will get pissed at me if I just drag on and on with the Third Stage" and "Everyone will be pissed at me if I just skip everything," so this is my attempt at a compromise. I hope you all like it.

AND GUESS WHAT GUYS. THE FIRST PART IS NOW OVER. THAT MEANS SASORI COMES BACK IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.

It also means that, starting with the next chapter, the poems at the bottom will switch from italics to bold — meaning that it'll be the marionette talking to the master instead of the master talking to the marionette. This is where the fun starts. :)

IMPORTANT: A friend of mine named **Inner Self** has put her ItaSaku Role Reversal Fic "Flower of Carnage" up for adoption. Please check it out and message her if you're interested in picking it up.

Alright, on with the show!

Please read and review! :)

* * *

**Ostracization**

* * *

Naruto was understandably upset after their talk, so it was probably a good thing that they went their separate ways to train during the month they were given to prepare for the actual third exam. Sakura was sad to see so little of him for such an extended period of time; they'd been close friends for seven and a half years now, and she couldn't remember going a single day without talking to him or at least running into him. An entire month away from him was, needless to say, disheartening.

But she knew exactly why he'd been angry with her, and she didn't blame him one bit. It was all on her, and though she was unhappy to see him so — well — unhappy, she wasn't sorry for it. She'd told him the truth; he deserved nothing less.

During that month, she saw even less of Kakashi and Sasuke than she did of him. It might've had something to do with the fact that their sensei singled out Sasuke to train one-on-one somewhere they could never find, not to mention how he set Naruto up to train with a legendary sannin. And who did he ask to train her?

Oh.

Right.

_No one._

Not that she was bitter or anything.

Besides, after _he_ left, she'd always trained by herself. It was familiar territory. She worked hard from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to sleep. She trained each day without exception, switching it up every time to keep herself on her toes.

Her match would be third, ironically enough directly after Naruto's fight — which was first — and Sasuke's — which was second. Other than their cell, the team from Suna was the only one in which every member passed the preliminaries. All others had a single participant remaining: Aburame Shino of Konoha's Team Eight, Nara Shikamaru of Konoha's Team Ten, Hyuuga Neji of Konoha's Team Gai, and Dosu from Oto.

To be honest, Sakura wasn't really upset that she'd have to sit through two fights before getting to her own. In the preliminaries, Hyuuga Neji had proven himself to be a pompous asshole of the highest degree, so watching Naruto beat him into the ground would be — well, not really satisfying seeing as Neji had never done anything to her, but entertaining nonetheless. Gaara from Suna, whom she'd wanted a chance to battle simply because of how strong he was, would be going up against Sasuke, and she dearly hoped her teammate would wipe the floor with him.

He'd been matched up with Lee for the first part of the third stage, and he'd been unbelievably cruel to her green-clad friend. He'd pummeled Lee like it was nothing and crushed half of his body so terribly that there was a chance he'd never be a shinobi again. Every day of that month, Sakura went to visit him in the hospital.

Sakura's fight, to her gratification, would be against Kankuro of Suna. The puppet master. After hers came Shikamaru versus Temari of Suna, then Dosu and Shino. Despite wanting Dosu to lose spectacularly, she also wanted him to win enough fights to be pitted against her. She still owed him a kicked-in head for what he'd done to Lee, after all.

Then, the second round would start with — she was sure — Naruto fighting Sasuke and her fighting either Temari or Shikamaru, Shino or Dosu standing by until the third round. She was confident that she'd be battling one of her teammates in the third round, something she was looking forward to, and whatever happened next was anyone's guess.

Aside from dwelling on the upcoming tournament, her thoughts frequently turned to her teammates. She wondered what they were doing at odd hours of the day and if they'd learned any new techniques that they could show off in the arena. For her part, Sakura had mastered two new mid-to-high level Wind-style jutsu that she was pretty happy with, and she finally retired her keepsake from _him_. The half of a puppet limb that she usually strapped to her forearm was a few years old now, and it'd been through a lot even if it hadn't been used as much as she would've liked (read: had been used so little that it was probably gathering dust). Having her arm broken in the second stage of the Chunin Exams had actually dealt it some internal damage that irked her to no end, and though fixable, she conceded that it was time to be put on a shelf.

To make up for the lack, she went through various new styles of fighting that would hopefully catch her opponents off guard, and she made a decision that surprised even her:

She would remove the weights on her arms and legs for the third stage.

Doing so would noticeably increase her speed, though definitely not as dramatically as Lee's had been when he'd removed his in the preliminaries. That sort of agility was mind boggling. If anything, she sans weights would be just as fast as Lee with weights — which, when thought about, was still pretty good.

For a while, she'd been afraid that the month would drag on like her last year in the academy had. Her daily visits to Lee, during which she scanned his medical charts to see if there was anything she could do for him, helped to lessen that. Some days, it didn't help as much as others.

But that month had finally passed, and the third stage of the Chunin Exams was scheduled to begin in less than half an hour. She arrived early just in case and was directed to a flight of stairs that led to an overhang where the other participants were waiting. The crowd was already thick above them with people placing bets and cheering for their children, their chatter surprisingly loud as it echoed around the arena. She climbed the steps for well over a minute before reaching the platform, and when she did, her eyes zeroed in on one person.

Naruto was partially turned away from her, expression uncomfortable. He didn't speak or bounce off the walls like he otherwise might have; he was too busy pretending to ignore her. Sakura sighed, approaching him. He tensed.

Instead of saying anything, she just took a spot beside him and leaned against the railing. He remained stiff for another few moments before slowly relaxing, and she saw her chance.

"I didn't see Sasuke," she commented smoothly. "Has he shown up yet?"

Naruto tentatively shook his head.

"He's usually the first one to arrive whenever we all meet up. He must be with Kakashi."

He didn't reply.

"You're up first, right?" she asked even though she already knew the answer. "Against Hyuuga Neji from Lee's team?"

A curt nod.

Sakura was silent for a heartbeat, then leaned her shoulder against his. "I missed you, Naruto," she murmured softly.

Instantly, he melted. "I missed you, too, Sakura-chan."

She smiled. "Glad to see you're finally speaking to me again."

He paused. "I…what you told me…I just…"

"I know," she said. "But I meant it."

The way he was looking at her made her chest ache. "I don't want you to go, Sakura-chan," he whispered.

Her eyes shifted to the arena below them.

.

"_What?!"_

"_Naruto," she urged, "just listen—"_

"_What do you mean you're leaving?!" he shrieked, beyond outraged. "You're just gonna pack up and leave us all behind?!"_

"_Not _now_," she insisted, trying to be patient with him. This wasn't going nearly as well as she'd hoped. "In a few years probably, but—"_

"_I don't care when it is!" he cut her off. "You can't just ditch us like that! I won't let you!"_

"_I'm not ditching you," she argued. "Believe me, I don't want to go. I mean, I do and I don't, but that's not the point. You and Sasuke and Kakashi and everyone else — you're my friends now. I want to stay here with you all more than you know. But this is something I have to do."_

"_Then stay!" he countered. "You don't have to go!"_

"_Look—" She halted, taking a deep breath. She couldn't yell at him for something like this. He was just confused and hurt, and he was trying not to show it, but she knew him too well._

_She allowed herself to calm down and placed a hand on his arm. "Look," she repeated softly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, and I'm sorry I have to tell you this at all." She smiled, and his mask cracked a bit. "You're my best friend, Naruto, and you always will be. I love you like you're family. When I leave however many years from now, I'll miss you so much, but you've got to understand." She met his eyes evenly, ensuring that he knew how serious she was. "This is something I have to do."_

_His anger was beginning to thaw away. "But _why_, Sakura-chan?" His voice was so broken, so defeated, that she hugged him._

"_Do you remember our first day as a team when Kakashi made us introduce ourselves?" He nodded against her shoulder. "You said your dream was to be Hokage so that everyone would finally recognize you." He nodded again. "And do you remember what mine was?"_

_He sniffed. "To…to find your brother, right? To find him and show him how strong you are?"_

_She squeezed him tighter. "He was the one that made me what I am now, but I've still got a ways to go. He gave me everything. He taught me to be strong, to respect myself, to think for myself, to _survive_. I owe him more than I could ever repay. I'd give my life for him."_

_Naruto made a sound that was almost a whimper._

"_He did so much for me," she continued gently, "and in return, I have to do something for him. He was my strength, so I'll be his shield. But I'm not ready yet." She pulled back, smile dimming when she saw the tears in his eyes. "I still have to get stronger, but once I've reached that point, I have to go. It's just something I need to do, and if I don't…"_

_She trailed off, but his expression told her he understood perfectly. It would hurt for her to walk away from her friends, but it would hurt more for her to walk away from her brother._

_So, it was with a heavy heart that Naruto swallowed his grief and managed a dull nod. "Alright," he choked out. "I…I don't want you to leave, but…I know how much it means to you, so…"_

_Sadness fell over her at his miserable look, but more than that was the relief. If Naruto could encourage her to strive for her ultimate goal, then she wouldn't be as distressed when she left._

"_And it's not like this is goodbye forever," Sakura murmured. "Even after I go, I can promise you that we'll see each other again. If where I travel takes me far away from Konoha, I'll make sure to detour back around here even if it's just to talk to you. Best friends are friends until the end."_

_His eyes lit up with hope, and a smile finally broke out. She returned the gesture whole-heartedly._

"_If there's anything I can do," he vowed, "just say the word."_

"_Actually," she said, "that's part of the reason I wanted to talk about this."_

_He nodded vigorously._

_She sighed, thinking of the best way to word what she was trying to get across. This could very well be even harder than convincing him that leaving would be good for her._

"_When I leave, I…" She paused. "Well, leaving will be easier said than done."_

_He just looked at her, puzzled._

_She tried again. "Naruto…how many shinobi do you know that just walked out of the village to live somewhere else?"_

"_None," he responded automatically._

"_Exactly," she agreed. "It doesn't happen often. You have to explain why you want to go, get permission from the Hokage and the council, and have a sealing jutsu placed on you that keeps you from revealing the village's secrets to people from other villages. You're monitored for months after that to make sure you haven't lied, and even then, you won't be allowed to go if you're moving to a village that Konoha is enemies with." She waited for that to sink in. "Do you see where I'm going with this?"_

_He frowned, thinking. "Sorta… Basically, it's gonna be hard for you to go, right?"_

_She nodded. "Yes. Especially since I don't know where he is now, nor where he'll be when I actually do leave. For all they know, my brother could be Konoha's number one enemy in disguise, and they won't care about my goal or what I have to do. So do you really think they'll just let me walk out of here?"_

_Naruto was beginning to get a bad feeling. "No, I guess not… But, we…we could ask the Hokage for a mission in some other country and start asking around about your brother, can't we? And we can just keep getting missions to different places until we find him, then the problem's solved!"_

_Sakura shook her head. "It's not that easy, Naruto," she disagreed. "My brother…" She stopped, debating about how much to tell him._

_**He**__ had come from some other village, probably illegally, and posed as someone else while he was in Konoha, meaning he was technically an enemy. If Naruto knew that, he'd undoubtedly be less inclined to agree to what she was going to ask. Not only that, but he'd realize that __**he **__wasn't actually her brother, meaning he'd also realize that he'd been lied to for seven years now. Making him even _less_ likely to agree._

"_My point is," she continued, "that unless I just sneak off in the middle of the night, I'm not going to able to leave without causing a huge spectacle. And if I just disappear, teams will be sent out after me when somebody realizes I'm gone. So…" She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "I'm going to need your help when I go."_

_Naruto backpedaled rapidly. "Sakura-chan," he choked, "I — I'm not comfortable with sneaking you out. And even if I lie and say you're sick or something, they'll figure it out eventually, and they'll know I helped—"_

"_That's not what I mean," she murmured._

_He fell silent._

_She met his gaze, not reassured by what she found there. "You're right. Even if you lie for me, somebody will figure it out at some point; not only will you be in trouble, teams will still be sent out to retrieve me because they can't be sure what I know and if I'll tell other villages." He nodded faintly, following her logic. "So sneaking out isn't an option."_

_He nodded again, then seemed to realize what the last part indicated. His eyes flickered suspiciously. "Then… How are you…"_

_He cut himself off abruptly. Sakura didn't look away from him._

"_They'll always be after me," she confirmed quietly. "I'll be labeled a missing-nin and an enemy, and you'll be in big trouble if you ever see me out in the world and don't try to detain me. I'll be forced to watch my back every waking moment for friends that have become my enemies." She never blinked. "Unless Konoha thinks I'm dead."_

.

Needless to say, Naruto had exploded when she asked him to help fake her death at some point in the future. He'd absolutely refused — multiple times — and had continued shouting for nearly half an hour.

Though, in the end, what made him walk away from her in a tear-filled rage was the realization that, if he did help her fake her own death, she'd probably never return to the village again even if she _had_ promised they'd see each other.

Releasing a quiet breath, Sakura smiled wearily at him.

"I know."

.

.

.

When the third stage finally began, Sasuke was still nowhere to be found, and it was announced that Dosu would not be participating. The second part had shocked her as much as it irritated her — because while she was ticked that she couldn't kick his head in, she was also sure that something bad had happened to him. He wouldn't just suddenly drop out like that; Orochimaru had undoubtedly ordered him to have another go at Sasuke, so his disappearance meant he was probably in big trouble, if not dead. This, at least, gave her some satisfaction.

Throughout Naruto's match, she didn't dwell on Sasuke's absence and instead yelled encouragement as Neji had his ass handed to him. She cheered with the crowd, contributing to the deafening roar of applause that made her teammate blush to the roots of his hair and grin like a madman. He then proceeded to whoop and jump about with energy he hadn't had a second before, even pausing to wave at Neji as his opponent was carted off to the hospital.

But now, Sasuke's fight was supposed to start, and he _still_ wasn't there. Genma had called for him twice before speaking into his headset quietly — which he'd now been doing for almost five minutes. The spectators were growing agitated, and even the other genin appeared concerned.

But the way Kankuro and Temari ducked their heads and began conversing in low tones sent up all kinds of red flags in Sakura's mind. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she watched them from her peripheral vision, hands clenching on the rail.

_Damn it,_ she thought, exasperated. _Where are you, Sasuke?_ For a moment, she couldn't help but wonder if Dosu had something to do with it, but then her earlier comment to Naruto came back to her. _If he _is_ with you, Kakashi, then you need to get your act together. This tardy crap has got to stop._

It was then that she became aware of the gaze boring into her. She gave no outward reaction save for a shift of her eyes, attempting to find whoever was staring at her without looking directly at them. Against her will, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

There. Beside Temari and Kankuro, Gaara was studying her unblinkingly. His arms were crossed and his stance was guarded, but his expression was completely unreadable. Somehow, it unnerved her.

Hopefully he hadn't noticed her lock on to him. She turned to Naruto, presenting the Suna shinobi with her back. Maybe it would put him off the scent. She pressed her forearm against the blond's to get his attention, keeping her voice as quiet as possible to ensure it didn't carry. He glanced down at her in surprise.

"I saw the way you looked at Gaara earlier," she murmured. "What do you know about him?"

His face changed drastically in a heartbeat. "Be careful around him, Sakura-chan," he whispered urgently. "He… There's something wrong with him. He tried to kill Lee."

She got the feeling that he was deliberately not telling her something, but she brushed it off.

"I know. I was there."

"No," he disagreed, voice dropping even lower. "Not during the preliminaries. He came to the hospital."

She froze, taking a moment to choke out, "What?"

Naruto nodded. "I couldn't believe it, either. But Shikamaru and I were going to visit Lee when we saw him, and we almost had to fight him right there in Lee's room to get him to leave."

"Just because he was there doesn't mean—"

"Lee was covered in sand," he interrupted her, predicting what she was going to say. "And unconscious."

She inhaled sharply. She'd gone to visit Lee every single day, and not once had she thought that his life was in danger. Clearly, she'd underestimated Gaara. Fists tightening on the rail, she opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when Genma finally spoke, apparently done with his headset conversation.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the jonin called, chakra circulating around his vocal cords to ensure his words carried to everyone in the stadium. "It appears that one of the contestants for the next match has not yet arrived. Therefore, we will temporarily delay this match and carry on with the following ones until he gets here."

"Great," they heard Shikamaru grouch behind them. "My match just got one closer. Man, what a _drag_."

Sakura and Naruto exchanged a look of immense relief, grinning at one another. Sasuke was safe for a while longer. Now all they had to do was either smack him or Kakashi for making them worry.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes lit up with some realization. "Hey, wait, that means—"

"So," Genma continued, drowning him out, "will Kankuro and Haruno Sakura please come down so we can get moving?"

Sakura heard Kankuro swear under his breath and couldn't help the smirk she directed at her teammate. "Wish me luck," she said cheekily before vaulting over the rail and leaping all the way down to the arena. Even as a few people — for instance, Shikamaru — rolled their eyes and others gaped at this display, she couldn't bring herself to feel self-conscious.

She hated wasting time, after all — a habit she'd picked up from _him_ that often tried her nerves.

She channeled a small amount of chakra to her feet as she landed to make sure she didn't accidentally hurt herself, an embarrassing fate she'd rather avoid if possible, and took a spot facing her fellow competitors. Kankuro, she noted with irritation, was still up there.

"Kankuro," Genma called impatiently. "Your match is starting. Get down here before I disqualify you."

Grimacing, the Suna-nin replied, "Er, I'd like to withdraw—"

"_What?_" Sakura demanded before he could finish, reaching her boiling point. "Are you seriously going to forfeit? You haven't even fought yet, you third-rate puppet master!"

Her words had the intended effect of pissing him off, and he scowled at her as Temari pushed him toward the stairs. She faintly heard the kunoichi's retort, "Are you just gonna stand here and take that?"

"Oi," Genma all but snapped. "Are you throwing the match or not?"

"Like hell!" Kankuro hissed, racing down the stairs. When he appeared on the field, he stopped a few feet away from her. "You're gonna pay for that, you pink-haired brat," he growled, pulling his trademark weapon of choice from his back. "We'll see who's a third-rate puppet master."

Satisfied, Genma stepped back to give them room. He raised his arm. "Begi—"

Before he could finish the declaration, a large puff of white smoke erupted, enveloping the center of the battlefield. Cries of shock echoed throughout the crowd, and Sakura brought up an arm to shield her face until the cloud dissipated. When she saw who had arrived, she rolled her eyes skyward.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Kakashi beamed at her. "Hello, Sakura-chan." No sooner that he said this, his face contorted into confusion. "Wait. Isn't your fight _after_ Sasuke's?"

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto shrieked at the top of his lungs, leaning so far over the rail that she briefly thought he might fall over it. "You missed me kicking Neji's ass, you stupid bastard!"

Startled, Kakashi looked up at the blond. Sakura fixed Sasuke with an annoyed frown.

"They had to postpone your match," she deadpanned. "And you've just interrupted mine."

"Have we?" Kakashi had the grace to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"Actually," Genma piped up, "it hasn't officially started yet, but since you're already down here, I'll let it go." He glowered disapprovingly at the tardy pair. "You're up next, so don't you dare go anywhere."

Sasuke snorted, ignoring the jonin's warning.

"You alright?" Sakura asked him, scratching her neck meaningfully. He grunted.

"Don't lose," he stated flatly, earning another roll of her eyes. He smirked in response.

"Alright, glad you're here," Genma intoned. "Now get your asses off the field; we don't have all day."

As her teammates finally took their respective places, she refocused on Kankuro. He was looking increasingly ticked.

"Begin!" the proctor ordered.

Without hesitation, Kankuro yanked the bandages from his puppet and shifted into an aggressive stance. It took only a second for him to attach chakra strings and send the marionette flying her way.

For the first time since she'd begun wearing them, Sakura discovered just how fast she was without her weights. She hurtled away with speed that surprised her opponent, forcing him to quickly adjust. She waited a beat for Crow to get nearly within reaching distance, then twisted and flipped over it with the reflexes of a feline, landing on her hands before springing backward onto her feet. She spun on her heel, facing the same direction as Genma so that neither Kankuro nor his puppet — each of either side of her — were presented with her back. The Suna-nin sneered at her.

"After all that big talk, all you're doing is running around," he mocked.

Sakura shot him a haughty look. "You clearly aren't as smart as you look — and that's saying a lot, what with all that ridiculous face paint you're wearing."

His expression contorted into one of rage, and a flick of his fingers brought Crow speeding toward her with a kunai in each hand. She kicked off the ground and rocketed straight up, at eye level with the crowd. Crow's jaw dropped mechanically, and a barrage of senbon gleaming with what she suspected to be poison shot at her. She created a clone in midair that grabbed onto her arms and twirled her around.

Without warning, the clone flung her straight at Kankuro before disappearing as the senbon struck it, and the real Sakura covered the entire fifty or sixty feet in a fraction of a heartbeat. Eyes widening, Kankuro dove to the side just in time. Falling at such a velocity, not to mention the sheer height from which she was launched, should have crushed just about every bone in her body upon impact, but thanks to both the combative and medical chakra circulating in her limbs, it was instead the _ground_ that was crushed.

It was as if a bomb had been set off. The terrain quite literally erupted from where she struck, huge chunks of rock and earth flying up in the air no less than two yards. Deep cracks scored the ground, throwing off Kankuro's balance as he scrambled to dodge the rather large debris raining down on him. He swore when a head-sized stone slammed into his left shoulder. When the dust finally cleared, Sakura was standing in the center of a crater — an actual _crater_ — with not a scratch on her.

The crowd watched on in a shocked silence, and the Hokage couldn't help but wonder it she was somehow related to one of his former students.

Her posture was deceptively relaxed as she spoke. "Running around, as you put it," she said matter-of-factly, "does indeed have its uses. For instance—" She cracked her knuckles, a habit rather than an intimidation tactic. "—I now know how quickly you can react with your puppet as well as how quickly you yourself can. And I also know of two sets of weapons your puppet wields, not to mention the poison you've coated your weapons with." _And,_ she added silently, _in a few minutes, I'll be able to predict your attack pattern._

Kankuro gritted his teeth. "Going by that logic," he retorted, "I now know how fast and strong you are."

She smirked blatantly. "Do you?"

He hesitated, uncertainty crackling off of him like a physical entity. With that seed of doubt successfully planted, she moved.

_My turn._

Sakura began her assault without chakra. Sure, she had some pills stashed away that would replenish her reserves if she needed them, but she knew that there would come a day when she was confronted by an enemy when she was out of said pills. Growing to rely upon them would be not only stupid, but also dangerous.

Plus, chakra pills were kind of…_not allowed_ during the fights…

Maybe she could get away with sneaking one _between_ fights.

Sakura made a beeline for the puppet, dodging to the sides rather than backwards whenever it chucked a weapon her way so as not to lose ground. When she ducked under a spray of poisoned kunai and surfaced within five feet of Crow, Kankuro suddenly tugged on his chakra strings and yanked it away from her. She nearly smiled to herself. Perhaps he wasn't _entirely_ as dumb as she'd pegged him.

She sacrificed a sliver of chakra to flash step into the puppet's figurative personal bubble, having to use a bit more to avoid a knife to the face. Again, Kankuro repositioned his mannequin at a safe distance, but Sakura was considerably less amused this time around.

This guy didn't fight like _him_ at all. _He_ had never taken up a defensive strategy the few times he'd had her fight his weaker puppets. _He_ had always pushed her and pushed her until she was on the verge of collapsing so that she'd give her all, never giving her even a second to rest between onslaughts. Some might have said that fighting this way was foolish and would leave him susceptible to traps, but Sakura knew that his seemingly…_unsophisticated_ manner of attack was simply a cover for the way he analyzed his opponents. Even while throwing everything he had into battle, part of his mind was sharply focused on catching his opponent off-guard. He fought both smart _and_ strong — a daunting task, if there ever was one.

But this Suna genin before her was choosing only one. He'd attempted the "fight strong" route when she'd only been defending, but now he'd switched to "fight smart." It wasn't like she'd been doing when she'd held off for a couple minutes to study him; no, he was intending to fight as little as possible in order to trip her up with something in the future. It stood a great chance of working — if he'd had a teammate to back him up or something to keep them apart for a length of time. Alone, however, this approach was ill-advised.

Every fight had a key to victory, no matter the odds, and this was hers. She would use his strategy against him and, with a little bit of luck, she'd be able to take him down.

Releasing a breath to relax her muscles a bit, she slid into an offensive stance with her palms raised and flattened rather than curled into fists — a move that vaguely reminded Kankuro of the way Neji had fought Naruto. And then she waited.

A good minute passed before Kankuro got the hint that she wasn't going to strike first, and he pressed his lips into a hard line. Shifting his heel for better footing, he lashed out his arms, and Crow sprang into action. The puppet covered half the distance between them and leapt, arms slinging out as it spun to fire a cloud of undoubtedly poisoned needles. Sakura streaked toward the doll to get as close as she could, calculating the trajectory of each weapon before she abruptly somersaulted and twisted in every which direction to evade them. She twirled sharply and then effortlessly transitioned into a one-handed handspring, using her moment to vault over the rest of the flurry. She drew her leg up for what promised to be a nasty axe kick, and Kankuro hastily jerked Crow back as her heel slammed into the ground where it'd been a second earlier.

Like before, the terrain was decimated, but it only extended five feet in any direction due to the limited amount of chakra she'd concentrated in her foot. Crow skidded to a halt a few yards away, further from its master than it had been in its previous spot.

Exactly as she'd hoped.

No sooner than the puppet made to shoot another volley — surely that damn thing had to run out soon — a clone burst from the dirt directly behind Kankuro. He swore loudly, whirling around and desperately bringing Crow to his defense, but he wasn't fast enough. Clone Sakura sliced a chakra scalpel across his right upper arm, and he cried out in shock as a bolt of lightning shot up his shoulder before his entire arm went alarmingly numb. Before the duplicate could get in another hit, Crow essentially body slammed it, apparently an effective way to dissipate it seeing as it disappeared with a puff of white smoke. Kankuro retreated to the high wall surrounding the arena, reduced to having to control his puppet with only one hand, and suddenly dropped onto his stomach when his instincts screamed at him to _get the hell down now!_

They served him well. Had he not listened, his head would have been little more than a bloody smear because, not a heartbeat later, Sakura's fist smashed into the thick concrete wall.

Shouts of alarm rang out through the crowd as a good section of the wall crumbled, but because she had so carefully calculated the amount and dispersal of her chakra, the stands remained strong. Crow dove for her, a blade extending out of its palm as it slashed at her back. She turned just enough to block the blow with her chakra-packed forearm, lessening its damage even as it cut deeply into her skin. Blood ran down to her elbow and spattered in the dirt, but she paid it no heed as she swiped at Crow with a chakra scalpel blazing. It managed to dodge quickly enough to get by with only a thin scratch on the surface on its wooden face, and Kankuro drew it much closer to himself as if to say, "I won't be fooled by the same trick twice."

He gave a breathless laugh as he took in her profuse sweating and slowly reddening face. "What's wrong, kid?" he taunted. "Running a fever?"

She rolled her eyes.

Then, in a move that confused him, Sakura smacked both of her hands flat against the wall just above the chunk she'd knocked out. She stuck them to the concrete with chakra and, in a show of impressive upper body strength, flipped the rest of her form up and attached her feet to the wall with another swirl of chakra. Kankuro guessed what she was going to do a moment before she acted, and he dodged wide just as she kicked off the wall and shot toward him with the speed of a serpent.

Having missed her target, she skidded across the ground in a crouch, her sandaled boots leaving deep tracks in their wake. Crow was on her in an instant, and she deflected its blade-riddled limbs with a kunai, having learned her lesson the first time it cut her. She twisted down and to the side to avoid having her head split open, and as she did, the kunai in her hand was caught between Crow's fingers and ripped away from her.

Sakura swore as the puppet's kneecap — now accented with a dagger protruding from it — dug painfully into her left shin and ripped open the top of her boot. The blood was hot and sticky against her skin, pouring out at a rate that didn't bode well, but she had even worse things to worry about.

Like the fact that this attack had knocked her foot out from under her, and she was now falling to the right as Crow swung a katana it'd procured from God-knew-where down at her face. Knowing that she'd be in a shit load of trouble — and pain — if she messed this up, she did her best to swipe her right arm around Crow's back. She hit the ground and it followed her down, hunching over her as it prepared to possibly kill her.

And then, suddenly, the mannequin froze.

Sakura couldn't help the sigh of relief she gave when the katana halted an inch from her nose. Kankuro stood there for a moment, gaping in disbelief as to why his puppet wasn't slaughtering her, before he tugged viciously on the chakra strings.

Only to find that they were limp.

Sakura found it amusing how stupid he looked with the way he was gawking at her at all. Slowly, Crow straightened back up. Its body did a perfect one-eighty before its head followed, and it started clacking ominously.

"What the hell!" Kankuro yelled. "What's going on?!"

Sakura smirked at him as she rose up on one elbow. "Sorry," she said sweetly. "Did I forget to mention that I'm a puppet master, too?"

Kankuro looked as though he'd been struck by lightning, and the startled intakes by the crowd made her smirk widen.

Sakura climbed to her feet leisurely and bent over, placing a palm against her shredded shin while her other hand rose, revealing a familiar set of shimmering strings attached to her fingertips. Green chakra glowed around the injury as the skin began to knit itself back together and a minute later, it was as good as new. When she rose and looked him in the eye, she seemed pretty proud of herself.

"How?" Kankuro choked out. "Puppet masters can't just steal puppets from each other while the strings are still connected."

While her right hand kept Crow in check, she presented her left hand and willed a chakra scalpel to spring to life. He stared at her hand, all but mesmerized.

"This," she explained simply, feeling she owed him seeing as she'd just stolen his only method of attack, "is called a chakra scalpel. There are two different types. One is used for surgery that only cuts tissues and other substances beneath the skin — like the one I used on your shoulder earlier. The other, this type, cuts through just about anything." She smiled broadly. "Including chakra strings."

She watched as Kankuro steadily began to take a step back in shock as how easily she'd turned the tables. Then, he inhaled sharply and squared his stance, a smirk cutting across his face. Sakura merely raised an eyebrow and his sudden influx of confidence.

"Well," he said a little bitterly, "you've definitely got me cornered. But, see, I only have to evade you for — oh, say, two more minutes before the poison kicks in and your muscles start to paralyze." He laughed. "Yeah, that's right — all those cuts you got from Crow? Poisoned. Have fun with that."

To his discomfort, she smiled back just as maliciously.

"Well," she began, as if mocking him, "you know how I just fixed up my leg and used a surgery jutsu to injure you? Not a coincidence. It's called being a medic-nin." She rolled her eyes more to herself. "Or, rather, I'll officially be one if I ever bother to take the boards and register with the hospital medic squads. But that's not the point. You want to know another cool trick you learn as a medic?" She fixed him with a smirk that mirror his own from a moment before. "Circulating chakra throughout your chakra network and bloodstream to raise your body temperature. The faster it moves, the higher the heat."

"So what?" he sneered. "You're your own space heater. Congratulations."

Sakura beamed. "Did you know that weaker poisons, when absorbed in small amounts, can be sweated right out of the body if the internal temperature is high enough and it hasn't had time to sink in?"

All color drained from Kankuro's face. "Then…"

"Yes," she confirmed, happy to rub it in. "When you asked if I was running a fever? I was — because I was expelling the poison from my body." She compelled Crow to take a step toward its master. "So, what were you waiting for, again?"

He gritted his teeth angrily, fist clenched — his right one was still numb along with the rest of his arm. "Damn it," he spat at her. "Sneaky brat. The next time we fight, I'll mop the floor with you."

Genma, who'd done an excellent job of dodging all the debris and attacks, arched an eyebrow at the Suna genin. "Does this mean you forfeit?"

Kankuro growled. "Yes," he snapped. "I've got nothing else to fight with. Now give me my damn puppet back."

At least he knew when he didn't stand a chance. It probably had something to do with the fact that he didn't have a single weapon or _anything_ on him besides Crow, seeing as he was so sure he'd never lose it. A unfortunate oversight — or, rather, _fortune_ one in Sakura's case.

"Winner," Genma announced as she kindly obliged. "Haruno Sakura."

Naruto screamed louder than the crowd, which was a pretty amazing feat, and she grinned back at him widely. She saw Sasuke smirking and Kakashi, who was up in the stands, give her a thumbs up.

.

.

.

Sasuke's match against Gaara was next. The audience was obviously looking forward to it the most out of all of them, if the cheering was anything to go by. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Sakura and Naruto's cheekily in synch, "Don't lose" as he made his way down to the arena. When the fight started, he took everyone by surprise.

It was clear that he'd grown exponentially in both speed and strength, and he was easily giving Gaara a run for his money. Then, he broke out a jutsu he'd undoubtedly learned from Kakashi, a shrieking mass of lightning named _Chidori_, and smashed through Gaara's ultimate sand shield with it.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

.

The instant Sakura saw the first feather float down, she snatched ahold of Naruto and leapt out of the competitors' box. The blond yelled something in surprise but quickly caught on as the landed in the arena. Feathers began falling all over the stands, the people who stared at them for too long abruptly passing out and tipping over.

Someone else, a jonin from Sand, had leapt into the arena as well, and he and Genma were squaring off between Sasuke and what appeared to be Gaara — though, from the howls and keening, it really could've been anything under all that sand.

"Genjutsu!" Sakura shrieked, trying to alert as many people as possible before they fell under. "Come on!" she called to Naruto, pointing up at the stands to indicate that they should jump up there and help out as enemies swarmed those still standing. Just as she was turning, a sudden movement caught her eye.

Her head swiveled around just in time to see the Kazekage lunge at the Hokage, bring a kunai to his throat, and tip his hat back to reveal his face.

Orochimaru.

Two ANBU members were already on it, but she knew without a doubt that they wouldn't be enough. That man was hardly human.

Cursing under her breath, she and Naruto leapt up into the stadium and, without having to be told, he helped her start smacking unconscious people on the back with chakra to break the illusion.

"The Hokage!" she shouted as the few ninja that were waking up blinking blearily at them. "The Hokage is under attack! Sound and Sand are the enemy!"

Naruto joined her in screeching for backup to go to the Hokage, and that rapidly got people moving.

"Sakura! Naruto!"

Immediately, their heads snapped up to see Kakashi down an enemy with a slash to his throat. To their astonishment, the enemy was dressed up as a Konoha ANBU operative.

"Holy shit," the blond murmured, eyes wide as saucers. "How are we supposed to tell good guys from bad?"

"Listen up, you two!" Kakashi ordered, returning their attention to him. "Get Shikamaru and go after Sasuke and Gaara!"

"What?!"

Naruto whirled around to discover that both genin were gone, leaving Genma and that Suna jonin going at it in the arena.

"Temari took Gaara and fled with him, and Sasuke followed," their sensei explained as he cut down another Oto-nin. "It's not just them, though — chunin from Sound are already in pursuit, presumably to stop Sasuke, so be careful. Take Pakkun with you."

Naruto looked back at Kakashi just in time to see a nin-dog being summoned. It lifted a paw in greeting.

"Pakkun, go with them," Kakashi instructed. "Follow Sasuke's trail. And whatever you do, stop Gaara!"

"Right!" they chorused, hurrying back to the competitors' box. The little dog was slower to follow, but he managed to keep up.

Sakura took one look at Shikamaru's limp body and grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "Stop playing dead and get up!" she snapped. "We've been ordered to go stop Gaara!"

He groaned. "What a drag…"

Pakkun bit his hand, and he yelped.

"Let's go," the dog barked around said hand and bounded off without letting go. Had the situation been different, Shikamaru's uncharacteristic yells would've been hilarious. The instant his makeshift teammates channeled chakra to their feet to go after them, another figure appeared beside them. Shino.

His face was completely unreadable, and the sun glinted sharply off his sunglasses.

"I will accompany you," he stated bluntly, as if they had no choice in the matter.

Sakura and Naruto exchanged a nod. "You better keep up!" the latter called as they took off. Shino easily matched their pace, and Naruto grinned at him. "Let's get 'em!"

.

They caught up to the Oto chunin in no time. The small group of four, five including Pakkun, shifted up higher in the trees to soar over the enemies' heads and leap past them. Shouts of alarm and anger rang out from the chunin, and they nearly doubled their speed to catch this newest threat.

Naruto swore as he glanced back over his shoulder. "If they could go that fast, why weren't they doing it in the first place?"

"Conserving chakra," Shikamaru replied grimly, looking back as well. He sighed as though heavily put-upon. "Troublesome. We won't be able to shake them off as easily as I'd hoped." Without warning, he whipped around and halted on the branch, allowing the rest of his team to continue on without him.

"What the heck are you doing?!" Naruto called to him, eyebrows furrowed.

Shikamaru waved them off, posture relaxed as the Chunin stopped on a branch just twenty feet away from him. "Go catch Sasuke and those troublesome Sand idiots. I'll take care of these guys."

The indicated chunin abruptly choked on their haughty laughter at this statement when a lone fourteen-year-old ensnared every single one of them simultaneously with a simple Shadow Possession Jutsu. There was a reason that people feared the Nara Clan one day pushing aside their laziness and rising up to take over, after all.

.

"There they are!" Naruto yelled a little unnecessarily, pointing wildly as the scene that greeted them.

Gaara — or what they _thought_ was Gaara — had partially transformed into some sort of…_creature_. Temari, scratched a little but otherwise unharmed, was peering around the thick trunk of a very old tree with wide, horrified eyes as Gaara launched himself at a clearly exhausted Sasuke, roaring like a beast. Sasuke, chest heaving for breath, gritted his teeth and dove sideways to avoid the attack, landing heavily on an adjacent. His foot twisted under him, and he crashed into the branch, scrambling to get back up. He cursed as his ankle resisted, knowing that this would horribly slow him down.

What in God's name had he gotten himself into?

Gaara whirled, snarling so menacingly that saliva dripped over his chin. He raised one hideously-elongated, mutated arm and flew at him again with what was obviously the intent to kill.

Sasuke planted his left foot down and forced himself up, but his right ankle throbbed so badly that it took his breath away, and he couldn't manage to rise up further than a crouch. Gaara was maybe twenty-five feet away. Knowing nothing else would stop that thing, he gripped his hand and flooded it with chakra. A chidori chirped to life for a split second before suddenly dying as the curse mark on his neck pulsed violently. He nearly collapsed under its force, spitting out another string of crude words.

He was scraping at the very ends of his chakra, and the curse mark knew that. It was whispering to him, drawing him in as it promised more power than he could ever need — and Sakura's words came back to him.

No. If he had to use it to beat Gaara, then that meant he was too weak to do it on his own. He might use it in the future for power boosts and a little help, but when it was a fight as serious as this that his very pride as an Uchiha was riding on? No way. He could do it all by himself.

He could practically hear the seal hiss, displeased, as its influence faded. He struggled to stand again and was successful this time, jaw clenched as he forcibly ignored the pain. He tried another chidori, but it didn't even spark.

He was out of chakra, he felt like he was about to pass out, and Gaara was barely seven feet away.

All that training, and for what? Nothing.

As a last-ditch effort, he took a kunai in each hand and steeled himself for the attack.

And that was when Sakura came flying out of nowhere and slammed a crushing sidekick to Gaara's face. Gaara howled and was sent careening through five trees, hurtling into a sixth and tumbling down a ways.

Sasuke stared in shock as both of his teammates skidded to a halt before him, turning at the same time to grin over their shoulders at him.

"How ya feeling, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto teased, not unkindly.

"Hold that guy off for a bit, Naruto," Sakura said, to which he saluted overzealously. She joined Sasuke on his branch and crouched down to inspect the injury she'd seen him sustain. "Here." She passed him a small bottle from the pouch on his hip, and he automatically unscrewed the top. When he arched an eyebrow, she shot him a small smile. "Chakra pills. I'd imagine you're running low after how long you had to fend off that guy. Just take one — they're pretty potent. Now keep still."

As he popped one blue capsule into his mouth and bit down on it, Sakura placed a glowing palm on his ankle that immediately soothed the pain. Not a second later, he felt a rush of chakra swirl through his body that didn't quite replenish his reserves to full power, but it did give him back at least two-thirds of it. Sakura stood and took the bottle back.

"Good as new," she observed, lips curling up in one corner. "Ready?"

His Sharingan blazed to life, answering her question.

"Alright!" Naruto said, pumping a fist. "Let's do this!"

"I will keep Temari preoccupied."

Sasuke's head turned, and he was startled to see Shino in the tree beside them. He hadn't sensed him approach.

"And I guess I'll sit this one out." Surprised for a second time, he looked down to see a small pug wearing a Konoha hitai-ate sitting beside him. The dog swatted a paw in Naruto's direction. "Good luck."

As Shino flash stepped to intercept Temari, who'd apparently been planning on protecting her teammate, Gaara let loose an inhuman growl and reappeared before them. To Sakura's disbelief, his jaw — which she'd _felt_ shatter under her kick — was already repairing itself.

And it was that revelation coupled with his enormous amount of chakra and the mutations steadily taking over his body that led to her epiphany.

_That_ was what she'd sensed Naruto was hiding when he'd warned her away from Gaara. He was a jinchuriki, too.

This didn't look good.

Sasuke and Sakura stepped up on either side of Naruto, muscles coiled for an assault. Naruto grinned.

"We've got this," he remarked rather confidently, then directed the next part at Gaara. "You're going down, you creepy jerk! Team Seven is _here_!"

.

The aftermath was devastating. A large portion of the village had been destroyed by a large three-headed snake summons, courtesy of Otogakure, and much more was burned to a crisp from fire jutsu that the enemies had used to flush out people hiding in houses. The loses were heavy, but Konoha had managed to push them out with the help of Suna.

As it turned out, Orochimaru had assassinated and posed as the Kazekage, and once all of the Sand shinobi realized this, they turned on their former allies with a vengeance. Konoha was, understandably, still really pissed off at Suna, but because they'd aided them in the end, none of the Sand-nin were taken prisoner.

Hundreds of people from each of the three villages had been slain, Oto receiving the brunt of the losses, but the worst of all came from Konoha.

The Hokage had been killed.

Many cried over his death when the battle came to an end. The Suna shinobi respectfully left to allow them to mourn, and the Oto prisoners were taken away by ANBU while the rest of the surviving Konoha-nin were all gathered in the relatively-unharmed Chunin Exams stadium. Civilians crowded in as close as they could, pouring out of the entrance and into the streets.

They all observed a long moment of silence for prayers.

Then, the Hokage's assistant Raido channeled chakra to his vocal cords and called for the crowd's attention.

"Everyone…," he began, trailing off as he swallowed back his sadness. "We will all mourn the loss of what was perhaps our village's kindest and bravest Hokage to date. He did not bend to the will of our enemies, and he died to save all of us." He managed a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "So let us honor his memory with a funeral three days from today. For now, we will begin to rebuild the village; all jonin know the procedure for situations such as this, so chunin and genin are to report to them for instructions. Everyone else, please follow this team here—" He indicated a group of six special jonin standing beside him. "—to find out where to go." He sighed, the tension leaving him. "And," he continued wearily, "because this attack has interfered with the Chunin Exams, the graduates won't be announced until next week. That's all; everyone, please go to your stations and be on the lookout for any enemies still hiding within the village."

Had Sakura been there, she would have immediately sought out Kakashi and gotten to work on the reconstruction. As it were, however, she and her teammates were currently sprawled out in three hospital beds side-by-side in the overflow room, having been brought there by a group of jonin who'd arrived at the end of their battle with Gaara. By comparison, Shino and Shikamaru were in much better condition, but they nearby on a pair of beds as well.

Sakura couldn't remember ever being so lifelessly exhausted in her entire life. Her eyelids were heavy, her body ached all over, dried blood caked her like a second skin, and her chakra was completely drained.

But, she thought drearily, they'd done it. They'd defeated Gaara. They'd won.

She turned her head lazily, feeling the anesthesia some medic had helpfully administered making her senses fuzzy, and peered at Naruto. He was already out, drool pooling on his pillow. Sluggishly, she looked at Sasuke. He was lying on his side, facing away from her, and the steady rise and fall of his side told her he was probably asleep, too.

Smiling to herself, Sakura relented and allowed herself to join her teammates in unconsciousness.

.

.

.

"Good morning, Sakura-san," the woman at a fruit stall she frequented greeted. "How are you today?"

"Doing well," she replied, reaching for the money she'd stuffed in the bottom of her kunai holster. "And yourself?"

The woman smiled, blemished by only the slightest hint of sadness. "It's a lovely day, so I can't complain." She gestured to a small pile of produce separated from the rest. "There were a lot of people craving mangos today, so I sat a few aside for you."

Sakura felt herself smiling in return. She'd always liked the woman; she reminded her of Teuchi's daughter Ayame from Ichiraku. "Thank you. I'll take all three, please."

As she handed her the money, Sakura let her gaze trail over the semi-busy streets. It was clear many people were still depressed over the Sandaime's untimely death, but it looked like a night of rest after the funeral had lightened the mood a tiny bit. It might take a while for everyone to truly move on, but at least they were trying.

Her stomach clenched. The Sandaime had always been kind to her, even when he surely knew that she was making every effort not to become attached to him or anyone. (_And how well did that work out with Team Seven?_ a voice in the back of her mind remarked snidely. She couldn't bring herself to be ashamed about it in the least.) He was a lot like Naruto in that way.

Then, a face caught her eye. What was he doing out here on the streets at this time of day? He was usually training about now. And who was that with him? And, most importantly, what is God's name was he wearing?

Turning back to the stall vendor as she took her fruit, she asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any tomatoes, would you?"

Surprised, the women replied, "Actually, I think I might still have one left. Would you like it?"

"Yes, please."

Sakura hastily paid for her purchase and whirled around, the three mangos in her left hand and the tomato raised in her right. She scanned the crowd until she spotted him again. "Sasuke!"

Both he and the guy beside him stopped, and he turned sharply to look at her.

"Here, I got you a — oh!"

Eyes widening, she stared at the man — that is, the half of his face she could see under that straw hat. His companion's head was tilted just so, restricting her view of him. The pair of black eyes she'd seen and recognized studied her intently.

"Ah, excuse me," she apologized, expression clouding with confusion. "It's just, you look a lot like someone I know. Sorry for the trouble."

Bowing slightly to reiterate her apology, Sakura frowned down at her right hand as she went to walk back home.

"Now what am I going to do with this? I don't even _like_ tomatoes…"

It wouldn't occur to her until nearly fifteen minutes later to wonder why that man had reacted so immediately to hearing Sasuke's name.

.

.

.

From that point on, everything spiraled out of control, rapidly falling further and further into chaos. Sakura learned exactly who is was she'd seen when Naruto showed up on her doorstep screaming about Sasuke being in the hospital, and she cursed herself for not realizing it at the time and doing something about it. When they visited their injured teammate, he'd been wound up into such a frenzy that he lashed out at them, and Sakura's influence was the only thing keeping him and Naruto from each other's throats.

Thankfully, Naruto and Jiraiya had succeeded in finding Tsunade, and her medical expertise ensured that Sasuke was as good as new within the week. Despite his drastic change in attitude, Tsunade — newly instated as the Godaime Hokage — sent them on a mission to the Rice Country, apparently deciding they needed something easy until the tension had calmed down even though all three had made chunin. (The team of jonin that found them at the end of their fight with Gaara testified for them when the decision was being made about who graduated and who didn't. Shikamaru and Shino, coincidentally or not, also passed.)

And during that mission, Sakura saw it. She witnessed the exact moment that the switch flipped in Sasuke, watched how his expression turned stony, perceived how the wall went up around him. And she knew.

So she waited. She waited until he reached his boiling point, and then she acted.

The full moon hung high in the sky, proclaiming the time as just past midnight, as she sat upon a stone bench alongside the only road leading out of the village. Her eyes glowed an even brighter green that usual with chakra that enhanced her night vision, allowing her to read the wind jutsu scroll in her lap with ease. This was a technique she'd yet to try, having wanted to first study it thoroughly to work out the kinks as quickly as possible.

It was while she was rereading the section on how to perfectly proportion one's chakra that she heard the faintest _clacking_ of a pair of standard-issue shinobi sandals.

Sakura didn't look up at first, instead choosing to finish the paragraph she was on. By the time she did, the footsteps had stopped, and she heard his voice as she was rolling up the scroll and releasing the chakra in her eyes.

"It's late. You should be sleeping."

She looked at him silently for a moment, taking in the backpack peeking over his shoulder and the lack of his hitai-ate. He waited for her to ask what he thought he was doing. (_"Sasuke, this isn't what you want…"_) He waited for her to try and cut a deal with him. (_"If you stay here, I'll help you find him. We can do it together…"_) He waited for her to reason with him about leaving all of his friends behind. (_"If you go, what'll happen to everyone you care about here? Think about them, at least…"_)

He waited for her to become a hypocrite. (_"I'm training to become strong so that I can leave this village and track him down someday, and I'll show him that I wasn't a waste of his time."_)

But she didn't.

She didn't do any of those things.

She just smiled and said, "I guess it's time for you to go, huh?"

Sasuke was surprised, not that he would ever admit it. Sure, they had discussed leaving the village for their respective goals back in the tower in the Forest of Death, but he'd felt certain her tune would change when he actually got around to doing it. Humans were malicious, back-stabbing creatures that thrived on double standards, and that was precisely why he disliked people in general.

But here was someone breaking free of that mold, upholding her word just as Naruto had so many times. He'd now found _two_ people that he could trust. A shocking feat, indeed.

Sakura sighed and stood, blocking the middle of the road so he wouldn't slip by until she was finished. He just watched her, eyes never blinking.

"I'd like to think that we've become friends, Sasuke," she began, posture relaxed. "I understand why you have to do this, and I know how much it means to you that you achieve your goal. And you know that I'm not just saying that, either. I really do understand." Her lips curled up at the edges. "So all I wanted to tell you was to take care of yourself and think hard about whatever you do out there. Orochimaru isn't the answer to your problems…" She observed how his shoulders seemed to stiffen, as though he was getting a little irritated with her lecture. "If you seek him out like I think you're going to and he trains you, then more power to you. Do your best. But that curse mark? That's not your strength; that's not even you at all — that's _him_. If you have to activate it to kill your brother, that won't be your victory, but Orochimaru's. Just think about that before you use it, okay?"

"Is that all?" he asked blandly. Anyone else might have been annoyed, thinking he'd just disregarded her advice, but she could see the wheels turning in his head. He was seriously contemplating it.

"Two more things," she said, smiling again. "And then you can go. Keep a close eye on Orochimaru. You know what he wants from you, right?"

He inclined his head curtly.

"Good. Then don't let him have it. And second…" This time, her smile was wide and genuine. "Make sure you ask your brother that question, alright? Don't let Orochimaru twist you into some kind of rage that'll kill him before you get the chance. If you never ask him…it'll probably haunt you forever."

Sasuke gave another tight nod.

"Are we done?"

She shook her head in mock exasperation. Before he could fend her off, she hugged him. Predictably, he tensed up and grimaced, but he also didn't push her away. She saved him the trouble by keeping it brief.

"Don't die, okay?" she murmured. "Naruto would be devastated. You really loves you, you know."

Sasuke didn't reply to that.

Then, she shot him a wry look. "And don't think I don't know that you did this on purpose. Leaving the village on his birthday? There's no way you'd forget that it was today."

Sasuke also didn't answer this, but the slightest hint of a smirk on his lips told her she was right.

She sighed again and stepped aside.

"Alright, then," she said. "Go on. We're wasting moonlight. I'll see you again sometime in the future."

He strode ten feet past her before stopping. His head turned so that she could see the profile of his face. He was still smirking.

"See you around, Sakura."

She watched him every step of the way until he disappeared into the distance, more content with her life than she'd been in a long time. Then, she went home.

* * *

_You've taken the plunge, but now it's time to swim._

_Keep your head afloat or the tide shall win,_

_And stretch out your fingers — there; you've reached the end._


	14. Reconciliation

Sorry for the wait, guys — but at least it wasn't as long as last time, right?

Anyway.

This is the much-anticipated chapter where Sasori finally makes his reappearance! And with this PART TWO BEGINS. I hope you all remember what I said about the poems at the bottom: when it's in italics, the puppet master is speaking to his marionette, and when it's in bold, the marionette is speaking to her puppet master. And why do I say I hope you've all remembered?

Because starting with this chapter, the poems are bold!

On another note, the lovely **ya-cho** will now be translating this story into Vietnamese! I'm so happy!

In the reviews for chapter 13, a lot of people were pissed at Sasuke for leaving on Naruto's birthday. His reason why is revealed in this chapter.

Also, there are two things in this chapter that reference chapter two. I wonder how many people will catch them. ;)

Please read and review!

* * *

**Reconciliation**

* * *

Sakura could still remember the way Naruto cried in her arms on his fourteenth birthday.

He'd been the first person she told about Sasuke leaving. He had, understandably, been extremely upset with her, so much so that he'd yelled at her for the very first time. She let him. Then, calmly, she laid it all out for him.

She didn't stop him when he ran off with a team to chase after Sasuke. She just sat by the gates and waited for him to come back — because as close as she was to each of her teammates, she knew that they were closer.

This was something Naruto needed to do — so that he could let go and support his two dearest friends in achieving their dreams wholeheartedly.

She remembered that'd he managed to keep the tears from falling when she'd told him why she let Sasuke go. She remembered that he'd swallowed back his pain when he whispered that he understood. She remembered that, when he returned with his team limping wearily behind him, he'd kept his head down and allowed her to pull him into a tight embrace.

After a moment, he'd quietly murmured that he'd finally caught up to Sasuke at a place called the Valley of the End. He said he'd made Sasuke tell him himself why he was leaving. Then, when he had, Naruto mustered up the courage to grin through the pain and say, "You weren't gonna leave without saying goodbye, were you, teme?" He proceeded to give Sasuke the same lecture Sakura had about taking care of himself and making sure they saw each other again, ending with a forcefully cheerful, "Just you watch, teme — I'll be the Hokage when you get back. Believe it!"

Then, Sasuke had smirked at him in a way that no one else would ever be able to get close enough to him to see.

"Happy Birthday, dobe."

And, Sakura remembered, that was when Naruto finally broke down and cried in her arms as his team watched on in respectful silence.

It was in that moment that he really let go and accepted that their team was meant to go separate ways — "But not forever, Sakura-chan," he'd told her weeks later, face lit up with a bright, heartfelt smile. "Sasuke-teme's leaving for a while to go after his dream, and I'll be leaving, too, to train for a couple years. Then, you'll leave to fulfill your own dream, and once we've all done what we have to do, we'll be Team Seven again!" He'd gazed off into the distance, completely sure of his words and at peace with them. "I know we will. Just, don't go before I get back, okay, Sakura-chan?" He'd grinned at her. "I want you to welcome me home first."

She'd smiled back warmly. "Of course I will, silly."

True to his word, Naruto had left four months later — on her fifteenth birthday. "I get why he did it, Sakura-chan," he'd said as he hugged her goodbye. "Why Sasuke-teme left on my birthday, I mean." Then, he'd broken out into possibly the widest and happiest grin she'd ever seen on him. "He wanted to make sure I didn't forget about him. So don't you forget about me, either, okay?"

She'd swatted at him playfully before pulling him into another hug. "Never," she'd promised.

Since the day he left, Sakura had grown into a full-fledged kunoichi. She'd sought out the new Hokage for more training, shocking the woman with her knowledge of her signature techniques, and under her tutelage had made a name for herself in the shinobi world. She perfected her medical and enhanced strength jutsu faster than Tsunade thought possible, passing her boards with flying colors to become one of the most talented medic-nin in the entire world, and eventually began serving as one of Tsunade's right-hand dignitaries for diplomatic meetings in both Suna and Kiri. She graduated to jonin alongside Neji, Shikamaru, and Temari of Suna a year and a half after their Chunin Exam, afterward often joining Kakashi on two-man missions that paid spectacularly.

In her free time, Sakura trained with her former sensei on their cell's old training grounds, even convincing him to teach her a couple of earth-style ninjutsu when he suggested she might have a minor affinity for it. And, every year, the two of them got together to celebrate her, his, Naruto, and Sasuke's birthdays. They never missed a single one.

It was when they were at Ichiraku celebrating Sasuke's seventeenth birthday, just under two and a half years from the day Naruto left, that Konoha's most famous and energetic ninja finally returned. They exchanged a knowing glance when a flare of chakra alerted them to his presence in the village, and they quickly paid for their meal. The pair found him two streets away, inspecting Konohamaru's version of his Sexy Jutsu with Jiraiya behind him, grinning and covering a heavily bleeding nose, and Tsunade next to Jiraiya, looking incredibly unimpressed. Sakura rolled her eyes skyward, and Kakashi chuckled.

"Why am I not surprised?" she asked, shaking her head.

Naruto's head shot up, apparently hearing her, and a thousand-watt smile spread over his face.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" he shrieked, attracting the attention of the entire street, and leapt at her with his arms flung out wide.

She contemplated sidestepping him and letting him crash into the ground but decided against it. He would've tackled her and sent them both cartwheeling down the road a ways had she not sent chakra to her feet to keep her balance. She hugged him back tightly, releasing the chakra so he could spin her around.

"Tadaima," he said cheekily.

"Okaerinasai," she replied, pulling back to smile at him.

Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's head and ruffled his hair as the two parted. His eye crinkled. "How was your training?"

"It was great, Kakashi-sensei!" he crowed. "Ero-sennin taught me all kinds of new jutsu!"

Tsunade shot Jiraiya a withering look. Jiraiya smiled back innocently.

"Ne, Sakura-chan," Naruto spoke up, grinning at her mischievously. "Looks like I'm taller than you, now, 'ttebayo."

She fixed him with a mock glare. "Did you know that I could punch you a quarter-mile in any direction if I felt like it?"

Naruto's expression didn't change expect for the not-so-subtle paling of his face, and Jiraiya directed an accusing glance at Tsunade as if to say, "And you dare to criticize _me_?"

"Hard to believe it's been over two years," Kakashi remarked mirthfully. "You two haven't changed at all."

"What the heck are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto grouched. "_You're_ the one that hasn't changed — you're still wearing the same clothes!"

"It's not nice to pick on old men, Naruto."

"Sakura!" Kakashi said, scandalized, as Naruto roared with laughter.

She laughed with him for a moment before finally taking a good look at her closest friend. He really had changed.

Naruto was, as he'd said, taller than her now by a few inches. His trademark orange jacket and pants were gone, replaced by another just-as-orange set that now included black accent instead of blue. The cloth of his hitai-ate had also changed to black, and the ends extended well beyond the knot at the back of his head. His hair, while still spiky, seemed a tiny bit longer.

And, Sakura noticed, his voice was a little deeper, too. It was strange to think how much he'd grown from when they met as young kids.

For her part, Sakura had changed as well.

When they were genin, she'd worn her hair semi-short, the ends just skimming her collarbone. It had grown out a little during and after their mission to the Land of Waves, but when that Zaku idiot had sliced off a chunk in the Forest of Death, she'd been forced to hack it off messily at her chin. However, after sporting the new hair cut for a few days, she'd come to like it, and she still wore it that way two-and-a-half years later. Though she'd told herself she would change her everyday attire when she made chunin, she actually put it off until she made jonin — and it was this new outfit that she now wore. Like Naruto's, her clothes still held more than a passing resemblance to those from their genin days: a sleeveless red top with a high collar that was held together with snap fasteners rather than a zipper, tan shorts, black knee-high boots, black spandex elbow guards, and her hitai-ate tied around her left bicep. Perhaps the biggest difference was the large tan pouch that buckled around her waist and rested against the small of her back, wide enough that it peeked around either side of her by an inch or so. Strapped on top of it was a thick scroll.

The scroll, humorously enough, had been a "no hard feelings, right?" gift from Kankuro that she'd received one of the times she made a diplomatic trip to Suna after graduating to jonin. Despite the obvious contempt he'd felt for her during the Chunin Exam, they got along pretty well once their villages were no longer at war; they had a lot in common, after all. But whereas Kankuro's entire offensive strategy was built around his puppet master jutsu, "aniki" had taught it to her as a sort of last resort to use if her other attacks proved ineffective, also inevitably teaching her how to _counter_ a puppet master. He'd figured she would only need it for attaching chakra strings to weapons and other objects around her, occasionally even opponents to trip them up — hence why he hadn't given her a puppet before he left.

When her relationship with Kankuro bordered more on friendly than hostile, they'd often engaged in conversations about various aspects of their daily lives, and when he inevitably asked why he'd never seen her whip out a puppet of her own, he'd been more than a little surprised to hear that she didn't have one. He then made some mumbled comment about how her skill with the puppet master jutsu was being put to waste, and the next day, a Suna chunin had delivered the scroll to her.

She trained with it often by herself, and she'd used it in battle twice just because she could, but she still considered it a last resort type of weapon. It was nothing special anyways — it was very basic, as puppets went: a male humanoid figure with brown hair and equally brown eyes that could store up to twenty weapons.

Sakura was brought out of her musings when Naruto turned to their former teacher with a loud exclamation of, "Oh, I almost forgot! I brought you something, Kakashi-sensei!"

He pulled a book out of the pouch at his hip, and Kakashi froze up, lone visible eye stretching wide. "That's…"

The titled, she noted blandly was _Icha Icha Tactics_. No doubt, another porno novel that Jiraiya had written. Kakashi spent no less than five minutes gazing at it as one would gaze at a deity, then immediately cracked it open and buried his nose in it. She doubted he would pay them any attention for at least the next few hours.

She was proved wrong when, just an hour and a half later as Tsunade and Jiraiya were leaving to let them catch up on lost time, Kakashi snapped the book shut and beamed at them. Both of his former students arched an eyebrow in unison.

Then, he slid the book into the pouch on his hip and took out something that was exceedingly familiar to all of them: two silver bells.

.

When they reached Team Seven's old training grounds, all three took a moment to soak it in and swim down memory lane. Then, Kakashi sighed and clapped his hands together.

"Alright. I think you both know how this works." He glanced at each of them, his eye lingering on Sakura for a moment. He frowned.

Naruto, noticing this, asked, "What's up, sensei?"

"Well…" The man scratched absently at his cheek as he thought, clearly unsure how to proceed. "Now that I think about it, this might not be as effective as I'd hoped."

"Why not?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Because Sakura-chan beat me in one-on-one a few months ago."

Naruto, unsurprisingly, gaped at his female teammate for well over a minute before demanding what had happened in his usual shrieking manner. Sakura merely gazed up at the sky as if nothing was amiss.

Inwardly, however, was a different story. It was true — she _had_ finally managed to beat Kakashi four months earlier, and even though it was only once, it was enough for her. They'd gone all-out, using every weapon and technique in their respective arsenals, and both had made an unscheduled trip to the hospital afterwards, but she'd done it.

And that was the moment that Sakura had known she was ready. Her promise to Naruto was the only thing keeping her there, and now that she'd welcomed him home just like he asked, there was nothing left. Tomorrow, she would tell him that it was time, and then they would begin planning her departure. She would let herself enjoy today.

Kakashi eventually decided that it wouldn't really be an exercise in teamwork if he excluded Sakura just because she could take him all by herself, and he gave them an entire day to get the bells instead of just until lunch time. It ended in half an hour — quite the spectacular embarrassment for Kakashi, no doubt — with both teens smirking over him and ringing the bells tauntingly. He sighed as though heavily put upon and hung his head.

And promptly forgot his failure when he remembered the beloved new book in his possession.

Naruto and Sakura had an arm slung around each other's shoulders, inspecting their bells smugly with Kakashi trailing behind them, walking blindly as he read, when the blond finally spoke up. "We should celebrate at Ichiraku," he said brightly. "Just like old times!"

Sakura looked back at their sensei, and she saw him smirk over the top of his book.

"I hate to burst your bubble, Naruto, but we already ate there earlier."

He stopped dead in the middle of the street, staring at his team like they'd just ripped his heart out. They laughed at his expression. Before he could come out with the expected, "How _could_ you?!", a voice called out their names. All three turned.

Shizune stood just twenty feet away, hunched over with her hands resting on her knees, heaving for breath. She'd clearly been running all over the village looking for them.

"Tsunade-sama's…office," she gasped between inhales.

.

Tsunade was looking more than a little irritated as she tapped her painted nails against the desk in a punishing rhythm, Tenten noted with worry. One fist was curled against her cheek, her eyes were narrowed into thin slits, and her lips were pressed into a tight line. Tiny cracks were beginning to form on her desk beneath her agitated fingers.

Tenten swallowed discreetly.

A glance to her left and right showed that Neji was just as aware of their Hokage's anger as she was, while Lee and Gai were completely oblivious as they exchanged their usual fiery pep talk.

A moment later, the door flew open, and in stepped Team Seven.

Tsunade leveled them with an acidic glare before directing all of it to Kakashi. "You're _late_."

Naruto offered an uncomfortable smile, and Kakashi edged a little closer to Sakura seeing as she was the only person to never suffer Tsunade's wrath. Sakura greeted her latest mentor without preamble.

"Shizune only just found us a minute ago — we arrived as quickly as we could."

At that, Tsunade cooled and gave a curt nod. "Fine. Get over here."

Team Seven and Team Gai stood at attention as their Hokage folded her fingers together and began.

"We have a serious situation," she stated solemnly. "I've received word from Suna's fastest carrier bird that two Akatsuki members infiltrated the village." Naruto froze. The sannin seemed unwilling to force the next words out of her mouth. "The Kazekage has been kidnapped."

The color drained from Naruto's face so rapidly that Sakura almost thought he might pass out. "The Akatsuki took Gaara?" he whispered.

Someone must have told him that Gaara was the Kazekage, she realized. Somehow, he and the Suna-nin had become friends after the Chunin Exam fiasco, just as she and Kankuro had as well as Shikamaru and Temari. Funny how easily enemies could become comrades.

"Yes," Tsunade agreed bitterly. "Jiraiya had told me that the Akatsuki was planning to capture all of the jinchuriki and harness the powers of their tailed beasts. Unfortunately, it looks like he was right."

After Gaara's transformation during the Chunin Exam, it was common knowledge in Konoha that he was a jinchuriki — but most people who weren't old enough to have fought during the Kyuubi attack nearly seventeen years earlier still didn't know that Naruto was one, too. Judging by how Tenten and Lee didn't cast inconspicuous glances at him as Gai and Neji did, they were part of that majority.

"Teams," Tsunade announced, "I'm sending you both to track down the pair of Akatsuki and rescue Gaara. Failure is not an option."

"What is our time limit?" Neji asked, calm and proper as ever.

"There isn't one," she replied. "It'll take you at least two-to-three days to travel to Suna, longer if sandstorms or other factors in the desert delay you. I don't care how long it takes you to finish this mission — just make sure you do." She waited until they all nodded to continue. "Gaara's sister Temari is currently here in Konoha on diplomatic business, and as far as I know, she hasn't yet been made aware of the situation. Find her, fill her in, and take her with you." They nodded again. "We don't have much information about what's going on, so I'll dismiss you all now. Go home and pack; I expect you to leave by five."

Sakura glanced at the clock on the wall. Three-twenty-six.

"When you get to Suna, find a jonin named Baki. He'll give you all the details." Tsunade sighed. "All right. Go."

As one, they all bowed, then filed out as teams to prepare for the mission.

Sakura took the time to walk home instead of jumping over rooftops or flash stepping in order to preserve chakra. She was already at two-thirds of her usual reserves thanks to the training exercise with Kakashi and Naruto, and she couldn't chance being caught unawares on the trip to Suna. She packed light; instead of bringing along a large pack, she filled two sealing scrolls as thick as her arm with supplies, which she then nestled in the tan pouch at the small of her back. She brought strictly necessities: two dozen bottles of water — the extra in case her teammates ran out or forgot to pack some, eight protein bars — so little because she was sure Naruto would bring a whole suitcase full of instant ramen, a bottle of chakra pills, a bottle of blood replenishing tablets, and a wide light-colored tarp to throw over herself and her teammates should they need to take cover from the sun or sandstorms.

She met her companions at the gates ten minutes before the set departure time. Kakashi, despite knowing better than to show up his customary two hours tardy, was five minutes late. Neji shot him a severely unimpressed look. Gai and the two younger members of Team Seven were clearly unsurprised, while Lee and Tenten didn't really seem to care. Temari, having been found and filled in by Neji, was obviously both stressed out and impatient to go.

"Yosh! Let us strive to make it to the Hidden Sand Village in one day!"

"An excellent suggestion, Lee! What say you, Kakashi? How about a race to see which team gets there first?"

"Er…"

"Lee, Suna is _three days away_."

"Don't be silly, Tenten! We can make it in one — we can make it in _half_ a day! With the power of our _youth_!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"_Gai-sensei_!"

"_Lee_!"

It was with this "wonderful" pep talk that they embarked upon their mission. True to his word, Gai turned their journey into a race and forced his team to double the already-neck-break pace Kakashi had set, hell-bent on victory. Had Temari possessed the stamina to keep up, she would undoubtedly have been leading the pack; she'd made herself sick with worry over Gaara and she wanted to get home as quickly as possible, but she simply didn't have the energy to tag along with that pair of spandex-clad speed freaks and their poor teammates. Instead, she stuck with Team Seven and managed clipped conversation with the two younger members in order to get her mind elsewhere. It didn't work.

The four shinobi leapt through the trees for hours, stopping only once for a short eating-and-bathroom-break along the way. When the sun set, they had already crossed into the Land of Rivers but were still many miles from the border with Wind Country, so Kakashi instructed them to press on. No one spoke in the darkness; with the limited visibility that the moon provided, they had to rely on their other senses to detect and hidden enemies and avoid getting a branch to the face. The moon was high in the sky when they finally reached the outpost from Suna's border patrol. Sand ANBU escorted them to the five jonin waiting inside to inspect their travel papers.

The instant said jonin laid eyes on Temari, they practically fell over themselves with apologies.

"Temari-sama!" one man choked out, his shock and embarrassment mirrored on the others' faces. "I'm terribly sorry! The ANBU never should have stopped you! There's no need to check any papers — p-please go right through!"

Temari graced them with a tight smile, seeing no reason to take out her frustration on them. "Thank you," she said, "but no apology is necessary. If everyone else has to be stopped for inspection, then I should be, too."

They bowed deeply, physically and vocally demonstrating their respect and gratitude. She and Team Seven were then quickly sent on their way, much to Sakura's amusement.

"How far are we going, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked once ten minutes had passed. Despite his desperation to find Gaara, he was drooping with fatigue. He and Jiraiya had risen at four in the morning to complete their nine-hour trip back to Konoha, then he'd gone through a training exercise with his team, and it was now going on seven hours that they'd been running at top speed. Even _his_ legendary stamina couldn't last forever, especially seeing as all the noise Jiraiya had been making last night in the other room with those women had made sleep damn near unobtainable.

Kakashi's eye crinkled in a reassuring smile. "Just two more miles," he promised. "We'll set up camp near the tree line." At the chunin's blank look, he explained, "Where the trees start thinning out."

In just a handful of minutes, Sakura spied smooth slopes through the trees that marked the beginning of the desert. Kakashi stopped them before they reached the sparse dead grass that gave way to sand, and he built a fire while Sakura set out in search of a water source to refill the five now-empty bottles she'd shared with her companions. In a testament to just how tired he was, Naruto ignored his growling stomach in favor of collapsing on the forest floor for some much-needed sleep. He was out before his head landed in the leaves.

.

Sakura's internal clock told her that it was around eight when they woke — just two hours after sunrise, and the temperature was already in the high nineties. And, she thought bleakly, it was only going to get hotter as the day wore on.

Before they began the second part of their journey, she took it upon herself as the only medic present to relate desert safety tips such as to conserve water and cover as much skin as possible. She directed this at her teammates, who were notorious for injuring and overworking themselves on missions, and then made a show of checking for Temari's approval to show that she considered the other kunoichi more qualified to lecture on that particular subject.

Progress was undeniably slower in the desert than it had been in the forest, and Sakura was assigned the task of keeping an eye on the group's health to ensure none of them keeled over with heat stroke. Three-and-a-half hours in, they all stopped to take refuge from the sun under the tarp she'd brought, Temari using a light Wind-style jutsu to stir about a cooler breeze. During the hour-long rest, Sakura expanded a little chakra to check her comrades for health problems, and they each drank half a bottle of water to stave off any dehydration.

The second time they stopped was when they discovered Team Gai crowded into the limited shade of a small cave-like indention in the side of an eleven-foot-high sandstone formation. Both Lee and Gai had been sorely lacking in foresight at the start of the mission, only packing three water bottles between them as they'd expected to zip across the desert with their trademark unholy speed before more water was necessary. When Team Seven found them, their entire supply of water had been used up, and Neji and Tenten were in the midst of _glaring_ the guilty pair to death since they lacked the energy to berate them. Kakashi was positively beaming when Gai admitted they needed some help, and Sakura readily provided them with water as well as treated their burns, blisters, and heat exhaustion. They then found another shaded alcove in the rocky outcrop to wait out the rest of the day, sleeping while they could. As soon as the sun disappeared over the horizon, both squads emerged for the last leg of their voyage. They pushed themselves faster during the cool hours of the night to make up for lost time, pausing briefly for a two-hours power nap, then continuing on even as dawn broke. They finally reached the village just after seven in the morning, and despite Gai's challenge, Temari was in fact the first to get there.

Sunagakure was in chaos. Chunin and genin were bustling to and fro in the middle of rebuilding destroyed and damaged sections of the village, while jonin stood guard over the entrance. There was a noticeable lack of ANBU, the vast majority now on border patrol to stop anymore "unexpected guests" from dropping in while the rest were either searching for Gaara or already dead due to the Akatsuki's infiltration.

Temari spent a solid ten minutes searching high and low for Kankuro, the Konoha-nin by her side, until a Suna chunin recognized her and directed her to the hospital. When they located her brother's room, a grim sight awaited them. Dozens of medics — quite possibly Suna's entire feet — stood around him, wringing their hands uselessly and whispering to one another, while Kankuro's destroyed puppets lay against the back wall in a heap. The whispers halted the instant Temari appeared, and rage exploded in her chest when she saw an unconscious Kankuro hooked up to a machine _with no one attending to him_.

"What the hell in going on here?!" she demanded, rushing to her brother's side. "The attack was three days ago, so why isn't anyone healing him?!"

The medics all exchanged uncomfortable glances before one finally cleared her throat and spoke up. "Um…w-we can't, Temari-sama."

Temari rounded on her with a blazing glower. "Why not?!"

She flinched. "Because…b-because he's been poisoned by a substance we've never seen before." She looked both frightened and sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Temari-sama, but we tried everything, and it's not working. He only has a few hours left to live."

"Then why did you stop?!" the blond screeched, nearly blinded by her panic and fury. "He's still got a few hours, right?! Keep trying!"

"We did what we could," an elderly woman said, making her presence known. For some reason, Sakura couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen her before. "It just wasn't enough."

Temari had gone devastatingly pale. "Chiyou-baa-sama…?"

If even the elder Chiyou, the greatest medic in all of Suna, couldn't save her brother, then what hope did he have? Her throat closed up with unshed tears.

"Let me have a look," came Sakura's sudden voice. Temari watched her intently. The Konoha kunoichi appeared neither uncertain nor pitying; poisons were one of her specialties.

Temari pulled herself together. She stepped aside and nodded. Without hesitation, Sakura approached her patient and channeled chakra to her palms, scanning his system for the toxin. She found it almost immediately, and she frowned at what she discerned from it. A large portion had already been absorbed into his organs and tissues, places far too delicate for her to remove it from, meaning she would have to administer an antidote to dissipate it as well as manually extract the part that hadn't yet been completely absorbed. She deduced all of this in less than a minute before she began issuing orders.

"I need three basins, one filled with ice water, one with room temperature, and one empty. Ice packs, as many as you can get me — hand towels, too. Also a sterile vial and at least five antidote simulation scrolls. In a bit, I'll need access to medicinal herbs and concoctions in order to form the antidote." As she said this, a small battle ensued between Chiyou and Kakashi, brought on by the woman jumping him with a shrill cry of "White Fang!", which she studiously ignored.

At Temari's order, two-thirds of the medics rushed to find the supplies Sakura requested, while the rest attempted to help break up the fight and shoo the Konoha shinobi into a corner where they wouldn't get in the way. As soon as the others returned with the required items, Sakura set to work.

"I want four people to hold him down," she instructed as she washed her hands thoroughly. "Two of you, start covering him in ice packs and towels soaked in ice water; we've got to get his fever down, but keep his upper torso clear so I can work." She dried her hands and approached the bed. "Once I start, he'll thrash, so _make sure_ you keep him still, and replace he cold compresses that he knocks off."

When her wishes were met, she pooled chakra into one hand and paced it on the surface of the lukewarm water, letting it gather up a sizable sphere of the liquid before withdrawing it. With one last check that the other medics had Kankuro secured, she pressed her palm flat against the scar on his chest and allowed the water to soak straight into his body. Predictably, he groaned and fought against his captors despite remaining unconscious. Sakura kept her hand against his skin for a moment longer to get as much of the poison as possible, and when she lifted it, a thick plum-colored liquid tainted the center of the water sphere. She released the toxin, water and all, into the empty basin and repeated the process twice more before the rest of it was collected.

"There," Sakura said proudly, holding up the last orb to the light for inspection as she wiped her brow with her other hand. "That's the last of it. Some of it was too far gone to remove, but with this much of it out of his system, he's out of immediate danger."

Temari slumped against the wall, sighing heavily with relief, while the medics in the room — and even Chiyou — stared at Sakura in awe. Maybe a dozen people in the entire world could use that jutsu, and, needless to say, none of them had been Suna-nin. Tenten's eyes were as wide as saucers, while Lee and Naruto were whooping over Sakura's perceived victory. Neji, who had watched the entire procedure with his Byakugan activated, seemed mildly impressed. Gai gave her the wink-and-thumbs-up combo, and Kakashi smiled proudly.

Sakura used her chakra to separate the water from the poison and transferred the latter to a vial. "Now," she continued, collecting the scrolls she'd asked for, "I need someone to show me the way to your lab and any medicinal herbs you have. Someone else needs to dispose of that basin" — she pointed to the one that had carried the poison —"the same way you would any hazardous materials; we can't take any chances by reusing it. The rest of you, get Kankuro's fever down."

Before she could leave, she was stopped by Chiyou. The woman studied her curiously. "You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago," she admitted. "You wouldn't happen to be acquainted with the Slug Queen Tsunade, would you?"

Sakura gave a polite smile. "She's my mentor."

As she left, Chiyou stared after her, frowning absently. She didn't say it aloud, but something about the way that girl spoke and acted — the way her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, the way her speech pattern was both formal and commanding, the way her jaw tightened with impatience if she had to wait more than a few seconds… _Something_ about her inexplicably reminded her of her long-lost grandson.

.

It took Sakura barely half an hour to concoct the correct antidote, as well as two extra in case they ran into whoever poisoned Kankuro. She was indeed a poison specialist, but usually something of this level would take her an hour or two to figure out. For some reason that she couldn't explain, the formula seemed…_familiar_ to her — not as though she'd seen this particular poison before, but more like than she'd seen one similar to it.

Nevertheless, she wasted no time in checking in on Kankuro and rousing him once she saw that his fever had gone down. His eyes cracked open, then shut back as the light assaulted him without remorse, and he groaned lowly at the ache it brought on. She spent five minutes forcing him to sit up before he finally came to his senses. He blinked at her dazedly.

"Sakura?"

"It's me," she said, holding a glass in front of his face. Normally, the type of antidote she'd made would be administered via injection, but she'd mixed in a couple more ingredients to make it both safe and less disgusting to ingest, as well as something that would make him drowsy. "I need you to drink this, Kankuro."

He stared at it for a moment, his head still a little fuzzy and thereby delaying his reaction. The longer he was awake, however, the clearer everything was becoming.

"You made this?" he asked, voice less slurred than it had been the first time he spoke.

"Yes," she confirmed, slipping the glass into his hand. "Drink this, and you should be feeling a whole lot better in a bit."

"The poison," he mumbled after doing as she asked. "That was…an antidote?"

"Yes, it was," Sakura assured him, helping him lie back down. "Get some sleep."

"Wait." He speech was becoming thick again — the sleeping agent she'd included in the mix was pretty fast-acting. "Gaara…follow the…scent…"

"The scent?" Kakashi piped up, walking closer to the bed.

Kankuro was struggling to keep his eyes open. He pointed shakily at the pile of his broken puppets. On top of the pile was a wooden hand cured into a fist. "Karasu…he's holding…cloth…the scent…"

For a second, they were all sure he'd succumbed to unconsciousness again, but his lids flickered open as he fought it. Kakashi approached the marionettes, carefully pulling open the fingers until he saw a torn strip of black fabric. He looked back at Kankuro.

"This came from your attacker?"

The Kazekage's brother didn't actually confirm this, but they all knew Kakashi's assumption was right. "He…puppet…red sand…"

He said nothing more as he finally passed out, but his arm remained outstretched over the side, one finger limply pointing at the puppets. The room grew quiet.

It was a few minutes before Temari broke the silence. "Chiyou-baa-sama," she murmured, "you don't think…?"

"Yes," the elder said bleakly. "I suspected as much, but I was hoping it wasn't true. That poison was _his_ work."

"Who?" Naruto questioned, confused.

Chiyou's face was like stone. "My grandson."

The remaining medics in the room paled. They began whispering amongst themselves in a fright, but all Sakura caught of it was, "red sand." The atmosphere grew increasingly morbid after that, and the Konoha-nin spent only a short time more in the hospital before going with Temari and Chiyou to meet with Suna's council.

Sakura's gaze landed one last time on Kankuro's hand, following the path it pointed in toward the puppets. As she studied the mannequins, she wondered what he'd been trying to show them. Relenting when she could see nothing of importance, she filed out of the room alongside her team.

She never even noticed the diamond insignia on the necks of all three puppets that depicted a red scorpion.

.

The cloth Kankuro snatched worked like a charm to track the two Akatsuki members, with the help of Kakashi's nin-hound summons. Team Gai — and the dogs — went on ahead in different directions to scout the area, but Chiyou remained with Team Seven. Temari had stayed behind to help run Sunagakure, being the only one of the three siblings that was both in the village and conscious. Pakkun was the first to discover the lair, and once he'd reported back to Kakashi, he tracked down and alerted Team Gai to the enemies' location, then he and the rest of the nin-dogs were released from the summons.

With both teams approaching from separate directions, they were hoping to corner the Akatsuki members.

It didn't work.

Sakura reflected cynically that their plans _never_ worked out properly when her team found itself facing off against an Akatsuki member that had clearly been sent out to stop them. Miles away, Team Gai was presented with the same problem.

Kakashi swore at the sight of the man before them, and Naruto looked absolutely furious. When said man raised his head, Sakura recognized him instantly.

Uchiha Itachi.

Her muscles coiled as she slid into a defensive stance. The irony was bitter on her tongue as she recalled the last time she laid eyes on him — when she'd mistaken him for Sasuke. It was even worse when she remembered the _first_ time she'd seen him.

She had been six. "Aniki" had been taking her out for her very first day of training, and Uchiha Itachi had been leaving one of the fields. She hadn't known who he was at the time, but "aniki" had told her about him some time later.

Both times, she had failed to realize who he was. But not anymore. She knew who he was now, and she would never forget his face again.

She owed Sasuke that much, at least.

When Itachi spoke, she would have thought he was mocking them except for the blankness of his voice. It sounded like he was completely hollow, as if he was unable to feel or show any emotions whatsoever. "Long time no see, Kakashi…Naruto."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Who do you think you are?!" he growled accusingly. "First you come after me, then Gaara — and what you did to Sasuke!" He jabbed a finger at the man from across the clearing. "You're going down, you bastard!"

As Itachi began to lift one hand into a tiger seal, Kakashi inhaled sharply. "Don't look him directly in the eyes," he warned.

Sakura already knew this from the studying she'd done on the Sharingan — she'd had to heal Kakashi's more than once because he'd overused it — but it still frustrated her. Most shinobi gave away their intentions in their eyes, and being unable to read him would give them less time to react to his attacks. On the other hand, she thought flatly, she doubted this man would have given anything away anyways, seeing as he was a veritable void of emotions.

Faintly, she heard Kakashi explaining to Naruto what the Sharingan and its more advanced forms could do, and Chiyou chimed it with how one could overpower the Sharingan: by a large group going at him and hoping something got through. Yeah. A _spectacular_ plan.

"Well," Kakashi sighed, "I'd really like to send you all ahead to save Gaara, but…" He offered his former students a tight smile. "I don't think I can handle him by myself."

"Naruto," Itachi said evenly, "I'll have to ask you to come with me."

Before Naruto could throw back a curse-ridded reply, Kakashi made his move. In the blink of an eye, he'd launched himself at Itachi and struck out with a fist aimed for his face. Instead of flying into a contest of taijutsu, both shinobi merely remained like this, putting their entire strength into staying at a deadlock, staring one another down with their respective Sharingan eyes. The other three didn't move, waiting to see what would happen. Kakashi broke the sudden silence first.

"Tell me, Itachi," he said icily, "how much of your eyesight have you lost?"

Sakura noted that the nuke-nin actually reacted this time — his eyes narrowed, and he didn't seem pleased at all by the question. He didn't reply, however, and his free hand flashed out with lightning speed to jab into the inside of Kakashi's elbow, the force causing Kakashi to jerk forward. Itachi wasted no time in grabbing the back of the jonin's head and flinging it to the side, successfully unbalancing him. Kakashi stumbled a few steps, leaning dangerously forward as he scrambled to regain his footing, but Itachi didn't give him the chance to. His hands flew through a series of hand seals that Sakura had seen Sasuke use on more than one occasion, and she sprang into action before he could complete them.

She covered half the distance between them with a single leap and brought her heel down with a tiny burst of chakra, splitting the earth in a wide crack that raced towards Itachi. He was forced to retreat many yards, but it didn't stop him from completing the signs for his jutsu, and he released an enormous fireball that all three Konoha-nin and Chiyou were in the path of even spread out as they were. Kakashi and Sakura dove in opposite directions simultaneously, Chiyou only a second behind them, but it wasn't until Sakura glanced back to check on Naruto that she realized he was frozen in place. His eyes were blank, and he didn't appear to have even seen the fireball at all — and she immediately knew without a shadow of a doubt that Itachi had trapped him in a genjutsu.

She should've expected him to target Naruto first. Even though Itachi's current job was to presumably delay or stop them, the Akatsuki still wanted Naruto, so now was as good a chance as any to capture him.

Thankfully, because of the sheer size of the katon, it couldn't travel very quickly, so Kakashi was able to snatch Naruto out of its way with ease. He left the blond with Sakura and turned as she pressed a chakra-filled palm against his shoulder to snap him out of the illusion. Naruto flinched, eyes going wide, and his head swiveled in every direction until he came back to his senses.

"You need to be careful, Naruto," Kakashi reminded him, lone Sharingan eye trained on their opponent. "Itachi specializes in genjutsu."

Naruto shook his head wildly as though to clear his mind, then leveled Itachi with a glower. "Got it," he muttered.

"Good," their former sensei said, bracing himself to instigate another attack. "Both of you stay back and wait for an opening."

Without further warning, he flash stepped and appeared to Itachi's left, dropping low and sweeping out his leg. Itachi never so much as blinked when he jumped over it and his sandal clad foot shot out like a serpent to deliver a punishing kick that connected with Kakashi's chest, sending the man flying back nearly twenty feet, all the while going through another set of seal. The fireball this time was smaller but at least twice as fast, and it swallowed the Copy-nin up before he could even stand.

Sakura and Naruto didn't have to look at each other; they both hurtled forward at the same time and sprang apart to come at Itachi from his left and right sides, Naruto swinging out a punch high and Sakura sliding in low with a chakra-packed kick. In that instant, Kakashi burst through the ground at Itachi's feet with a chidori aimed at his torso. All three attacks met their mark — but as soon as they did, the apparent clone poofed out of existence with a cloud of white smoke.

Immediately, the trio spun and slipped into a tight triangle for defense, leaving no room for the Akatsuki member to appear in the middle as Zabuza had once done when Sasuke had been part of the formation rather than Kakashi. Naruto was the first one to spot him materializing from the ground, and he alerted his teammates in his customary volume fifty voice.

All gazes locked on him as he stared back at them silently, giving absolutely no hint as to what he was planning. A beat passed in tense silence.

"Naruto," Sakura said, eyes neither blinking nor leaving Itachi's form. "You remember our mission to Rice Country three years ago?" Feeling her teammate look at her, she continued, "That Ame jonin we had to fight, Rokusho Aoi — remember him?"

Kakashi, who hadn't gone with them on that mission, had no idea what she was talking about. Naruto frowned at her briefly, wondering what she could possibly be getting at — and then it hit him.

She, he, and Sasuke had made this exact formation when they were facing off against that creep who'd introduced himself as Aoi. Understanding what she wanted him to do, he grinned. "Got it."

When Sakura caught Kakashi's confused look, she added cheekily, "Try to keep up, sensei."

Sakura leapt toward Itachi with chakra pooling in her hand, and he shifted ever so slightly to intercept her attack, but two-thirds of the way there, she abruptly plastered her foot to the ground with chakra and slammed her fist into the earth. It erupted massively, large chunks of dirt and rock soaring in every direction, and dust clouded the air. Itachi was forced to relocate again to avoid losing his balance or getting a rock to the face, the latter of which she wouldn't have minded seeing, and she disappeared into the shroud of dirt and debris as he moved.

A second later, both Sakura and Kakashi streaked out into the open and swung viciously with kunai at Itachi's sides. When he dodged them, they spun and slashed out again with perfect synchronization at his eyes and knees, neither managing to score a cut —

And then, a second Kakashi — the _real _Kakashi — appeared at Itachi's back with a chidori blazing, and the Akatsuki member was forcing to spring forward to avoid it, but it still burned a nice place on his shoulder blade that was sure to slow him down.

That was when the last of the dust cleared, revealing the real Sakura in the midst of physically _throwing_ Naruto, complete with a large rasengan in his palm, straight at him. Naruto barreled right into Itachi, rasengan first, and gouged a hideous hole in the man's chest before colliding with him and toppling them both over.

Naruto flew to his feet, ready to form another sphere of chakra if necessary, but the job was done. They watched as a small smirk spread across Itachi's bloodied lips, and his eyes fell closed.

Only, a second later, it wasn't Itachi anymore.

Kakashi sighed wearily. "I thought this might be the case," he admitted. "I've fought Itachi once before, and this man wasn't nearly as powerful as him. At first I thought it might be because he's going blind, but…"

He trailed off as Chiyou approached them cautiously. "Is he dead?"

"Yes," Sakura answered. "But he's not actually Uchiha Itachi."

Stunned, the old woman peered down at the corpse, only to see that it had, indeed, changed. Her face fell, and she suddenly looked incredibly tired. "That's Yura," she murmured. "He's a jonin from our village."

"Was he an Akatsuki spy?" Naruto asked.

"He couldn't have been," she disagreed sadly. "He worked for four years at the highest level of security, and he's never done anything to make anyone suspicious of him."

"So…what? He transformed into Itachi?" Naruto sounded, understandably, confused.

"No," Kakashi said grimly. "The Uchiha Clan created the Grand Fireball Jutsu, and only someone with Uchiha chakra can perform a real one. And that fireball he made…that wasn't just an imitation. It was real."

"That means Itachi was somehow giving him his chakra, right?" Sakura concluded, glancing at the jonin.

"Yes," he murmured. "I'm afraid so."

.

"You're late, Kakashi," was Gai's retort when they finally caught up with him and his team on the surface of a lake.

"Well, you see, we ran into a little trouble along the way," Kakashi replied casually.

"You don't mean me, do you?" Chiyou deadpanned.

"Naruto!" Lee called out, smiling and waving. "Sakura!"

"Looks like we all made it here in one piece," Sakura observed, her eyes traveling up to the massive boulder before them that was wedged into what appeared to be the entrance of a large cave. Some sort of sealing tag was stuck to it that had the kanji for "forbidden" written on it. Kakashi followed her gaze and frowned at what he found.

"Alright!" Gai declared, gaining everyone's attention. "Our first order of business is this barrier. Any idea how to get past it?"

"A five-seal barrier is established by placing five paper seals in the area," Kakashi explained, clearly unenthusiastic. "One of them is right here, so the other four should be nearby, but the catch is that all five must be removed at the same exact moment."

Naruto swore.

"You think you can find them, Neji?" Gai asked.

Instead of replying, he brought his hands together in the tiger seal and activated his Byakugan. A moment later, he spoke. "There. One is on a rock five hundred meters to the northeast… Another is on a tree by a river about three hundred fifty meters south-southeast… Then there's one on a cliff wall about six hundred fifty meters to the northwest… And the last is on a tree in a wooded area eight hundred meters southwest."

"Great," Gai said, grinning as he passed out wireless radio communication devices to his team and another to Kakashi. "They're all within range of our headsets. My team and I will take care of four other seals with Neji directing us."

"And I'll get this one," Kakashi agreed, tilting his head in the direction of the boulder. He smiled at Team Seven's only female. "Once that's done, Sakura-chan can smash us a way in."

She cracked her knuckles in response. All four members of Team Gai turned to look at the boulder, then back at her.

"You know I'd never do something to piss you off, right?" Tenten joked. "I don't have a death wish."

"Yosh!" Lee cheered. "You are truly splendid in the springtime of your youth, Sakura!"

For her part, Chiyou was watching Sakura skeptically. "I saw what you did to the ground earlier, but something like that?" she questioned. "Isn't it a bit too much for you?"

Naruto grinned at the elder widely. "Sakura-chan could practically destroy a whole mountain with one punch if she wanted to. Believe it!"

Kakashi's lone visible eye crinkled. "You might want to step back a bit." It took Team Gai barely five minutes to locate the seals, made evident by the chorus of affirmations over Kakashi's headset. The silver-haired jonin perched on top of the boulder, one hand on the paper talisman and the other pressing a finger to his wireless radio. "On three, then. One…two…three!"

He peeled the paper off and executed a perfect backflip, calling out Sakura's name as he did so.

Without needing to be told twice, she hurtled forward and drew back a fist, flooding it with chakra. The boulder shattered easily upon impact, and she sprang out of the way to avoid the debris as it all came crashing down. The four waited cautiously until the rocks finally stopped falling, hesitating a moment longer to allow the cloud of dust to dissipate. Kakashi suddenly pressed the button on his radio, asking a surprised, "What?" Sakura, Naruto, and Chiyou looked at him silently as he sighed. "Well, try to take care of it as quickly as possible and get back here." He met their stares. "Gai's team won't be back for a while. Ripping off those seals released some sort of trap."

"We can't wait for them," Naruto argued, glaring at the cave. "Those bastards are probably in there right now with Gaara."

"I know," the jonin agreed. "Let's go — but be careful. We don't know how many there are."

They had to peer through the last traces of dust and dirt to see what was going on when they entered the cave, and when it cleared, Naruto inhaled sharply. Two Akatsuki members greeted them, one short and bulky with a sash that covered most of his face and the other sporting long blond hair that reminded Sakura distinctly of Ino. An enormous white bird that didn't quite look real was standing off to the side.

And the blond one was sitting on Gaara's motionless body as if he were a couch.

Naruto stared, stunned, and Sakura's eyes immediately cut over to him. He was going to explode any second now — she could feel it.

"YOU!" he shrieked, eyes flashing red and canines elongating. The marks on his cheeks grew more pronounced. "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

And there he went.

"I guess that one's the jinchuriki," the blond Akatsuki member remarked with amusement, smirking.

"Get up, Gaara!" Naruto screamed. "Why are you just lying there?! GET UP!"

"Stop, Naruto," Kakashi said wearily. "You know full well why he isn't moving."

Tears welled up in his eyes, and it just seemed to make him even angrier.

"He's already dead, yeah," the mysterious man mocked, obviously the more talkative of the two seeing as the second one had yet to speak a single word.

"Give him back," Naruto whispered, fists clenching. Then, the Kyubi's chakra pulsated from him in a threatening wave, and he leapt forward. "GIVE HIM BACK, YOU BASTARD!"

Before he could get very far, Sakura snatched the back of his jumpsuit and hauled him back behind her, the motion throwing him off balance and causing him to crash in a heap on the ground at her heels.

"Why do you think that guy is sitting on Gaara?" she said icily. "He wants to piss you off so that you rush in without thinking. Don't be stupid — if you play right into their hands, you'll get caught, and the rest of us will be killed." She fixed the unnamed blond with a cold stare, making it clear that her next words were meant for him. "Get off your ass and face us. You've kept us waiting long enough — and I don't _like_ to be kept waiting."

To their astonishment, the man abruptly roared with laughter. He turned to his partner, one hand clutching his stomach and the other wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye. "That girl sounds just like you, danna," he snickered.

The other male said nothing, studying Sakura with an intensity that confused her — not that she allowed it to show.

"I think _I'll_ keep the body with me," the first man continued, unconcerned with his partner's silence. It was apparently a common thing. "The jinchuriki clearly wants it…" He grinned maliciously. "So I'll let him have it, yeah."

At that, the second Akatsuki member finally looked at him disapprovingly. "Don't push your luck, Deidara." His voice was low and rough like crushed gravel.

Deidara snorted. "As an artist, I must always seek ever-greater stimulation lest my senses dull," he preened.

Instantly, all reservation on the other man's part was lost. "Art? You mean those cheap pyrotechnics of yours?" He made a disdainful noise. "That isn't art. Art is eternal — a beauty that lasts forever."

All of a sudden, Sakura was hit by a memory she hadn't thought of in many years.

"_Art," he murmured so quietly that her ears strained to catch it. "You will be my greatest work of art."_

She immediately banished it. This was no time to be thinking about _him_; that could wait until she and her companions beat these guys and recovered Gaara.

To both her confusion and irritation, the two Akatsuki members were _still_ arguing about art, and she was about ready to fling something at them to get them to shut up and fight. Naruto was obviously on the same wavelength as her, because he produced a scroll that summoned a windmill shuriken and did just that. In a move that surprised all of them, the unknown enemy swung out a long wooden tail to smack the shuriken away from them — and he didn't even look at it as he did so; he was too busy _bickering with Deidara about art_.

"Are you _trying_ to make me angry?" he ground out.

"See there — I _told_ you that you wouldn't like what I had to say, yeah."

Sakura's gaze zeroed in on the tail, and she scrutinized every inch of it as she recognized what it was for.

_This must be what Kankuro was trying to tell us when he was pointing at the puppets,_ she thought to herself. _This man is a puppet master._ She glanced fleetingly at the Suna elder. _I bet he's Chiyou's grandson, too — she said he was the one who made the poison, and most puppet masters use poison on their weapons._ Her eyes shifted to Deidara. _Besides, this guy's partner mentioned that he used pyrotechnics, and the Suna council said one of the Akatsuki members was fighting with bombs. Bombs and poison don't typically run hand-in-hand._

The pair's strange conversation was brought to a halt as the puppet master attempted to disembowel Deidara with his tail, and the blond leapt onto the large white bird to avoid it. "See ya," Deidara called tauntingly as the bird kicked off the ground and flew out of the cave.

"No!" Naruto yelled, rushing to his feet, but then halting when he recalled Sakura's words to him.

Sakura thought of the two antidotes nestled in her pouch and knew what to do. She stared straight at the remaining opponent as she spoke. "Naruto, you and Kakashi-sensei go after him and get Gaara. Chiyou-baa-sama and I can take this one." She turned to look at Chiyou. "You said he was your grandson, didn't you?"

The woman was startled. "Y-yes."

"Good." Her eyes were once again trained on the man. "Naruto will go for Gaara no matter what we tell him, and I'm more equipped to fight against a puppet master than you are, Kakashi-sensei. Leave him to us."

He hesitated a moment before nodding. "Try to stall until Gai's team arrives."

Sakura gave a frosty smile, never blinking. "I won't have to."

In the next instant, Naruto and Kakashi had taken off after Deidara and Gaara, leaving the three alone in the cave. She probed discreetly to see how much chakra he possessed, only to discover that he'd masked it. And it wasn't the way most shinobi did in battle to disguise how full or empty their reserves were — he'd covered up his entire signature so well that if Sakura hadn't been staring him down, she'd swear that no one was there.

Why would he do that?

_That's not important,_ she reminded herself, focusing back on the task at hand.

There was a few beats of silence, then Chiyou stepped forward and held out a hand indicating that Sakura should stay back. "You may indeed be more equipped than Kakashi to fight him since you're a medic-nin, but the last time I saw my grandson, he was very powerful, and I doubt that's changed. Let me fight him. You just keep a lookout for your friends in case they get back."

"With all due respect," Sakura said flatly, marching up beside her impatiently, "I know what I'm doing. I was specifically trained to fight against puppet masters."

Chiyou looked at her in surprise. "Trained by who?"

Sakura gave a small bitter sort of smile. "No one you'd know." She studied their opponent from his strangely unexpressive face all the way to his tail, the gears turning in her head. "From what I can tell, this 'person' in front of us is actually a puppet — and since I can't see strings anywhere, I'm going to assume that he's inside of it."

"Yes," Chiyou agreed grimly. "Because it can serve as both armor and a weapon, this puppet was always his favorite when he was younger, but I was under the impression that he didn't use it anymore. Clearly, I was mistaken." Her lips pressed in a tight line. "He calls it Hiruko."

"Then the first thing we need to do is drag him out of his puppet," Sakura concluded. "If he went out of his way to build one that acts like a shield, then we can assume that he's like the majority of puppet masters in that close combat isn't his forte." She pulled a pair of black gloves out of her pouch and tugged them on. "Not only have I been trained to counter the puppet master jutsu, but I also specialize in close combat." The corners of her lips curled up slightly. "This shouldn't take too long."

The man finally spoke up, shirking his cloak to reveal that he was perched on all fours, and he widened his stance. "You seem awfully confident for such a little brat," he stated matter-of-factly, oddly focused on Sakura rather than his own grandmother.

"I was taught by the best," she shot back, completely sure of her words. "You couldn't possibly compare to him."

Curiously enough, he seemed particularly interested by this. "The man you were calling 'sensei,' you mean."

"No," she disagreed, sliding smoothly into an offensive stance. "My _first_ teacher."

She ignored the confused look Chiyou sent her as she channeled chakra into her fists. Eventually, the older woman sighed.

"Well, Sakura," she said, "now that he's removed his cloak, I can see that he's made some changes to Hiruko over the years, and I'm afraid I won't be able to defeat him on my own. The only way we're going to get him out of that puppet is to destroy it." She smiled. "And since you seem pretty good at smashing things, I'll leave that part to you. But whatever you do, you must not let yourself get even a single cut—"

"Because of the poison," Sakura finished. "Got it."

"Are you finished?" he intoned dryly. "You know I don't like to be kept waiting."

"Don't worry," Chiyou retorted in a similar tone. "We won't waste any time in killing you."

Both women lurched forward, Sakura covering twice as much distance as her partner before he pulled back the sash on his mouth and dropped his mouth open mechanically. Chiyou didn't have to tell her to dodge — she'd seen enough puppets to know what was coming. Not disappointing her, a barrage of undoubtedly poisoned senbon shot out of a large slot in the back of the puppet's throat, and she was reminded of her fight in the Chunin Exams with Kankuro. She smirked. The scenario was almost identical.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, especially since Kankuro had fought against this man as well, she fell right into the pattern she'd utilized then; calculating the trajectory of the weapons, she somersaulted and twisted a dozen different ways, then twirled sharply on her heel and executed a perfect one-handed handspring to vault over the cloud of needles. He lifted his left arm and the lower section disconnected, propelling forward and exploding with hundreds of more needles. In mid-air, she drew her leg up nearly parallel with her body for an axe kick, and in her mind, she was back in the arena.

He scrambled to move, but it was too late. Sakura's foot slammed down on its back, and the mannequin essentially exploded. Pieces of wood and metal were sent flying, and the puppet collapsed lifelessly as a person shrouded completely in a black hooded cloak streaked out from the wreckage and put a considerable amount of distance between himself and Sakura in case she suddenly struck out and punched him with that monstrous strength of hers. She raised her head triumphantly, drawing up a clenched fist as if to show him what was waiting for him once she got close enough again.

"I shouldn't have expected any less," the man said softly, one hand slowly surfacing from the cloak to reach for the hood. As it shifted, it became obvious that he was wearing the standard Akatsuki uniform beneath it — and Sakura wondered absently just how many cloaks this guy had on.

She was preoccupied, however, by his voice.

Something…

Something about it sounded…_familiar_…

"Facing off against both my own grandmother…" He released the hold he'd placed on his chakra. The plain black cloak was shed. "And _you_."

Sakura froze up entirely, unable to move or speak or even think. If he wanted to kill her, this was the perfect opportunity — actually, now that she'd seen his face, he could kill her any time he wanted.

Because she would let him.

She would give him anything he wanted.

His hair was still red and messy, the tips falling around his beautiful hazel eyes and brushing against his thick eyelashes. His skin was still tanned and unblemished. And he was taller now — no longer a child, if he ever really could have been considered as such.

But she would recognize him anywhere.

And his voice… It was deeper and smoother now, but it still comforted her just as it had when she'd been little.

Sakura forgot all about Chiyou. She forgot about the Akatsuki and Gaara and Naruto and _everything_.

Everything except him.

She'd finally found him.

The smile that stretched across her face was the largest and brightest smile she'd ever given since the day he left.

And, for the first time since that day, she finally allowed herself to think and speak his name.

"Sasori."

.

.

.

Naruto was the first to reach the cave half an hour later when his fight with the blond Akatsuki ended. Kakashi had stayed behind with Gaara and Team Gai, but they were sure to follow in a few minutes. To his horror, the cave was absolutely demolished; the top was completely gone and laying crumbled all over the ground — and Chiyou was limp in the middle of the lake, her head and torso supported by a boulder.

He felt his blood run cold as he ran to her even though he could clearly see that she was still breathing — she was just unconscious. Then, ten feet away, he spotted a suspiciously pristine scroll sitting atop another large chunk of debris.

And his name was written on it.

His heart skipped a beat anxiously. That was Sakura's handwriting.

In that instant, Naruto forgot all about Chiyou and went for the scroll. He hesitated for a second, afraid to find out what was inside, but he steeled his nerves and unraveled it.

_Naruto,_

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry for a lot of things. I'm sorry that our team has to go its separate ways, even if we agreed that it was for the best. I'm sorry that we had to have that conversation three years ago that started all of this._

_But most of all, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you all of this in person._

_When I was fighting this guy, I realized how much stronger I've gotten since that day we promised each other, and I've decided that I'm finally ready. Sasuke went first, then you, and now it's my turn. And I also found a way to leave that won't ever trace back to you — because all you have to do is destroy this scroll and agree with Chiyou-baa-sama when she wakes up._

_Speaking of which, you don't need to worry about her. She's not hurt or anything — I've just placed her under a genjutsu that will make her think she saw something that didn't really happen. When she wakes up, she'll tell you that the Akatsuki member ran me through with a poisoned sword in a fatal blow and that I, in a last ditch effort to take him down before I died, used a jutsu to summon hundreds of paper bombs that encircled us like a cocoon. I then detonated them simultaneously once Chiyou had gotten a ways away, but the blast knocked her off her feet, and she hit her head on the way down —_ _hence why she'd unconscious. The explosion killed both me and the Akatsuki member, and it was so big that it destroyed the cave and left nothing of our bodies behind except for splatters of blood._

_And that reminds me — you're going to find a lot of blood in the cave, but don't panic. I'm fine. I took blood tablets to replenish every drop I lost. You also don't need to worry about that Akatsuki member. I took care of everything._

_I left this letter here because I knew you would get here first, and I knew that you'd find it. I just want you to know that I'm okay and that I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I'm sure we'll see each other again. I promise._

_I love you, Naruto — you're like family to me. Good luck, and be safe._

_Sakura_

* * *

**For you, my master, I am but a doll.**

**Your strings have supported me and caught my fall,**

**So now I am yours for once and all.**


	15. Inception

Hello, all! That was a long wait this time, huh? Sorry about that. It's just, you know, I have this little thing to deal with called college. I really appreciate all the amazing reviews and comments and votes of encouragement, but as for the people who say things like, "Aren't you ever gonna update?" or "What's taking so long?"

One, that's rude. Two, reading those comments makes me want to update even _less_ because I'm petty.

But pettiness aside, I really am sorry for taking so long to finish this chapter. I'll try to do better next time. :)

And for those of you who are wondering if Sakura and Sasori are ever going to get together, look up at the top of your screen where the summary for this fic is. See those two names listed as the main characters? Sakura and Sasori. See those two genres listed? Romance and adventure. Anyone want to try and guess what that means?

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

But romance is still a few chapters off. I mean, they were _kids_ when they first met; serious romance at that age would be kinda creepy, you know? However, our two stars are now young adults, so they'll probably jump each others' bones soon, right? Not so much. Sasori's a bit on the socially awkward side, and Sakura never once considered him in that light because she was too busy revering him as a God when she was little. It needs time to bloom first, but it _will_ happen. I promise.

Anyway. Please read and review!

* * *

**Inception**

* * *

The very instant Sakura laid eyes on him in the cave, all will to fight had left her. It didn't matter that he had poisoned Kankuro and helped kidnap Gaara. It didn't matter that he was a member of the Akatsuki, Konoha's greatest enemy, the organization that wanted to capture Naruto. It didn't matter that her mission was to stop and, if necessary, kill him.

None of it mattered, because he was here.

_He_ was here.

_Sasori_ was here.

His name. Gods above, his name.

She hadn't allowed herself to say or even think his name all these years, instead just referring to him as "aniki" or simply "_him_." She'd promised herself that she would only use his name again once she'd found him and become strong enough to stand at his side.

And now she'd found him. She'd found him without even having to look for him, and God, he was _here_.

Chiyou had, understandably, been rather confused when Sakura suddenly stopped in her tracks. She'd been worried and asking difficult questions to answer, and she'd been just on the verge of realizing that her partner and her grandson were connected somehow when Sakura reacted. It was instinct, really, that prompted her to catch the woman in a genjutsu. Something in the back of her mind had screamed that Sasori was in danger, and she had to protect him.

A good ten minutes passed in which they both just stared at Chiyou's unconscious form. Neither spoke. Neither looked at one another.

Eventually, Sakura had told him in an absentminded murmur what illusion she'd cast on the Suna elder, to which Sasori had replied just as quietly that it didn't do her any good to weave such a detailed genjutsu if she didn't make it believable. So, after another moment of watching Chiyou breathe, she'd set to work on destroying the cave, left Naruto a message, and then followed him when he turned without a word and walked away.

Now, an hour later, they were still silent as they leapt from branch to branch, and Sakura couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him. Some part of her was terrified that if she looked away from him for even a second, she'd suddenly wake up to find that this had all been some sort of cruelly-realistic dream. That, or he'd disappear again while she was distracted, leaving behind nothing but a scroll telling her that she wasn't ready yet.

But an hour had passed since he revealed himself, and he was still here.

Sakura admired, not for the first or third or even tenth time, how very much Sasori had changed without really changing at all. For whatever reason, she'd always pictured him that way he'd looked back then, and her mental projection of herself had been that tiny little child gazing up at him in awe. She'd never even thought about him growing older. She was seventeen now, making him twenty-one — twenty-two in November, if memory served.

And even after all these years, her feelings hadn't changed.

She loved Naruto. She loved Sasuke. She loved Kakashi.

But she loved him more, and he would always come first, no matter what.

Her breath nearly caught as she realized that he was starting to slow down and descend to lower branches, the motion so slight that she wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been so utterly focused on him. She adjusted her speed accordingly so that she lagged behind his right shoulder rather than running beside him and, little by little, their pace reduced until they came to a leisurely walk on the forest floor. A moment later, they broke through the dense woods and emerged into a small clearing occupied only by sparse grass and a single fallen log. Somewhere close by, Sakura could hear the muted murmur of a stream.

Sasori stopped altogether, his eyes meeting hers. She halted a few feet away.

"Where are we?" she asked when several minutes passed without him speaking.

"The Land of Rivers," he replied evenly. "This is the rendezvous point that Deidara and I agreed upon; we will give him until sundown to meet up with us, and if he fails to do so, we will continue on and set up camp elsewhere for the night."

She processed this quickly. "Deidara is your partner, right?"

"Yes." He spared her a glance. "Will that be a problem?"

"That depends on whether or not he deems _me_ a problem."

He studied her for a beat before turning and taking a seat against the log. "He won't."

She hesitated, then pushed aside her reservations and sat on top of said log. From this new position, she towered over him — strange, because he'd always been the one looking down at her. "He knows about me, then?"

"He will shortly."

Silence settled over them, and Sasori withdrew a scroll from his cloak. From it, he summoned the pitiful remains of Hiruko and set to work on fixing it. Sakura winced. Chiyou had said that was his favorite puppet. Should she apologize for destroying it? But, wait — he hadn't hesitated to fight her without telling her who he was, so maybe he'd expected her to smash his puppet; he'd overseen her study of Tsunade's chakra-enhanced strength, after all, so he should have known a single punch from her would shatter the poor thing. So it was better _not_ to apologize…?

If he was mad, an apology wouldn't be enough. She'd have to help him put Hiruko back together. But if he _wasn't_ mad, an apology would just annoy him, and then he _would_ be mad.

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closing. Since when had she been this obsessive and worrisome? This wasn't like her at all. She was the smart, level-headed kunoichi with no patience for stupidity. She was better than this. Just because she'd found Sasori didn't mean she could start freaking out over everything like a ridiculous little child.

Slow breaths.

In. Out.

"Sorry about Hiruko."

Sasori grunted nonchalantly. "You've grown stronger."

Sakura positively lit up like the sun, being careful to hide her smile. It had always irritated him when she basked in his seldom-delivered praise. "I've been training for this since the day you left."

His hands stilled and he looked up at her searchingly. He didn't have to ask or even open his mouth.

"I worked hard to make myself stronger," she said. "I didn't dare leave until I was sure I wouldn't just be a burden to you. I was actually planning to start looking for you as soon as I finished this last mission." Her smile broke through. "I guess the Gods approved."

"The Gods have nothing to do with it," he countered flatly. That was another thing that ticked him off. Sasori didn't believe in fate or destiny or even higher beings; he used to tell her that being a shinobi was sixty percent skill, forty percent luck, zero percent faith. To be honest, Sakura wasn't exactly sure of her own beliefs either.

When he didn't continue, Sakura cleared her throat quietly. "Since we're meeting up with your partner, I assume we're going to one of the Akatsuki's bases. Is it here in River Country?"

"There is no base in River Country," he disagreed. "The only use we have here is the cave you stumbled upon earlier." His gaze slid to hers. "But that no longer exists."

She couldn't help but duck her head in embarrassment. "So, we _are_ going to a base?"

He paused. "Are you aware of the Akatsuki's goal?"

Her face dimmed a little. "I know that the Akatsuki has been hunting down the jinchuriki, supposedly to remove the bijuu from them, and I know that doing so kills the host. While I don't know _why_ they're doing this, I can guess."

"And?"

He was back to working on Hiruko, not bothering to look at her. To anyone else, it might have seemed as if he'd simply inquired about the weather or something equally trivial.

She inhaled and exhaled slowly, clearing her mind so she could give him a truthful response. "Naruto is my friend," she said. "I don't like what the Akatsuki's doing, and if they order me to hurt him, then I'll refuse… But if _you_ ask me to…then, I will." She held his stare evenly. "That day, when you found me, you made me promise to pledge my loyalty only to you. After you left, I tried to distance myself from everyone so I wouldn't become attached to them. But I failed." The corner of her lips curled up in an ironic smile. "They managed to worm their way into my life, and I've become attached to them despite my best efforts, so eventually I just gave up." The tiny smile evaporated. "But I never forgot what you told me. I pledged my loyalty to you, and you'll always have it." She broke out into a grin to lighten the mood. "So whenever you tell me to jump, all I'll ask is, 'How high?' "

Sasori snorted quietly, his mouth twitching ever so slightly. Sakura felt like she could walk on air if she tied; Sasori rarely ever showed emotion, so it was a real treat.

"You never had a second thought about it, after all."

It took her a minute to realize what he'd said, but when she did, she frowned in confusion. "What?"

He looked at her with something akin to amusement. "After I left, did you ever once consider spending the remainder of your life in Konoha?"

She blinked. "Why would I? You told me to work hard to find you again."

"Hm." Sakura didn't really understand why, but he seemed distinctly satisfied. Before she could ask him if she'd said something funny, he abruptly changed the subject. "I left you a scroll on wind-style ninjutsu."

She perked up at his unvoiced question. "I mastered it. I know they were only basic techniques, but it took a while because I didn't have enough chakra back then for elemental ninjutsu." She couldn't help the way her chin lifted a little in pride. "My old sensei taught me a few earth-style jutsu, too, because he said I have a minor affinity for it."

When he looked at her, she saw his eyes flash with the tiniest hint of surprise. "Wind and earth. Conflicting elements." Somehow, _that_ seemed to amuse him, too. "I suppose I should have expected that."

Sakura was thrown for a loop. "Huh?"

He studied her for a heartbeat as though trying to decide whether or not to say something. Like she was some sort of puzzle with pieces that didn't fit together. Like at any given moment she might do something spectacular and logic-defying.

Years ago, she'd seen him watch her this way sometimes when he thought she wasn't looking. She'd never understood what it meant, but she'd recognized the almost vacant gleam in his gaze, as if he didn't even realize he was staring at her, so she always pretending she hadn't noticed. But this time, he was looking at her outright, and she couldn't ignore it.

She swallowed to wet her suddenly-dry throat. "Have I done something wrong?"

The side of his mouth quirked up in what might have been a smirk. "No. And for the record, I have absolutely no interest in Konoha or any of its inhabitants, Uzumaki Naruto included." And without another word, he turned around and resumed his work on Hiruko.

Hours passed with a comfortable kind of quiet between them. Sakura entertained herself for a while by compiling a mental catalog of the techniques she could no longer use now that she'd essentially defected from Konoha. The first one that came to mind was the summoning jutsu — Tsunade had allowed her to make a contract with her slugs a year earlier, and Sakura somehow doubted that Katsuyu or any of the others would just "forget" to mention to the Hokage that she was still alive if she called upon them. Another was her chakra-enhanced strength. She could still use it, but she'd have to be careful who she used it _on_ because it was basically Tsunade's signature technique, and she'd yet to hear of anyone else who'd mastered it. Her puppet master jutsu was unlikely to draw attention, what with how common it was (mostly amongst shinobi from the Land of Wind, but still). Her medical jutsu might draw attention, but as long as she didn't do something drastic like reattach a limb in front of someone who might realize who she was, she would probably be fine.

Then, of course, there was the matter of her hair. In all of her years, she'd only ever heard of two other people with pink hair — Kakuyoku Fubuki from that tedious mission to the Land of Snow (now Spring), and that Tayuya chick from Oto that Shikamaru'd had quite a few unpleasant things to say about after going on that (failed) mission to drag Sasuke back to Konoha. Well, three people, actually, if you included her father, whom she had no memories of — and the only reason she even knew that was because Sasori had located the files on her parents after she'd begged him for nearly a year. The files had only contained very basic information and they hadn't even had photos of them, but they'd had their descriptions and, more importantly, their names.

Father: Haruno Kizashi — pink hair, blue eyes. Mother: Haruno Mebuki — blond hair, green eyes. She'd spent hundreds of nights after that trying to imagine how they'd looked. Sometimes, she'd look at someone and wonder, _Is that how my mom looked?_ or _Did my dad have a mustache like that?_ She'd dug deep into her subconscious and employed the persona she'd childishly dubbed "Inner Sakura" to see if she could find even one memory of her parents hidden somewhere in the recesses of her mind. Needless to say, it hadn't worked.

But it had been years since she'd thought about her parents. Somewhere along the line, she'd almost…well, _forgotten_ about them, because Sasori had become everything she'd ever needed.

.

Sakura was staring up at the sky, observing how the sun was just beginning to caress the horizon with a warm reddish-orange glow, when she finally realized that Sasori had gone absolutely still. Immediately, she stiffened and casted her senses outward to search for whatever he'd detected. It took her a minute to figure it out: all of the birds and animals in the forest surrounding them were unnaturally silent.

Someone was here.

As a precaution, Sakura allowed a bit of chakra to trickle into her closed fist, and she scanned the tree line for any signs of movement. A moment later, Sasori visibly relaxed and stood. His joints protested loudly from being in one position for too many hours, but it didn't seem to bother him. Just as Sakura was taking her cue from him to ease up, a shadow caught her eye, and her gaze snapped back to a tree directly across from them.

It was Deidara, looking a little worse for the wear.

A _lot_ worse for the wear, actually.

Before the blond could speak, Sasori demanded flatly, "What did you do?"

An excellent question, considering one of his arms was missing and the other one was crushed into, quite literally, a bloody pulp.

Had he been anyone else, Deidara might have collapsed and passed out from the agony. Or, he might have begged his partner for help in getting to a hospital. Instead, he fixed Sakura with a suspicious glare and said, "What the hell is _she_ doing here, yeah?"

"_She_," Sasori replied in a tone that just _dared_ Deidara to argue with him, "is one of my spies, and as her position has been compromised, I've had to extract her from Konoha. However, the more pressing matter in this situation, I believe, is the state of your arms." He arched a brow scathingly. "Or, rather, _lack_ of them."

The blond scowled at him furiously. "Oh, _really_? I hadn't _noticed_, yeah!"

Sakura had no time to dwell upon the story Sasori fed his partner about her being a spy because, in that instant, a patch of ground beside Deidara lurched upwards and morphed into the shape of an enormous Venus fly trap. It opened, revealing the head and upper torso of a man with green hair, unnerving yellow eyes, and skin that was split right down the middle — one half solid white, and the other pitch black.

His name was Zetsu, if she recalled correctly.

"Deidara, here, ran into some trouble with Hatake Kakashi," the white half explained helpfully, holding up the indicated missing arm.

"Fucking Sharingan, yeah," the victim input sourly.

Sakura's eyebrows shot all the way into her hairline. "You actually managed to save his arm?"

Zetsu looked at her blankly. "Who is this?"

She ignored him. "If you reopen the wounds where the arm was detached — both on his shoulder and the actual arm — I can put it back on."

Civilian doctors could reattach limbs only if they had just been severed within the past few hours, a little longer if the limb was on ice, but medic-nin could reattach limbs that had been severed as long as a day with the aid of their chakra, and she already knew that Deidara's arm had been very much a part of his body earlier that day.

He glanced at Sasori questioningly, but when the red head didn't object to him talking to her, he eventually replied. "Are you a medic-nin?"

"Would I say that if I wasn't?" She didn't wait for his answer. "Now stop wasting my time, and get over here."

Startled, Deidara stared at her. "Wait a minute — you're the one that was talking about how you hated to be kept waiting in the cave." He rounded on Sasori. "I get it — _that's_ why she reminded me of you, yeah."

Sakura decided to take that as a compliment as she stood and marched over to the pair that apparently didn't understand the words "get over here." A chakra scalpel blazed to life in one of her hands as she snatched Deidara's dismembered arm from Zetsu with the other, and she swiped it across the freshly healed skin on the arm.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?" the blond demanded angrily.

"Shut up," she all but snapped, ripping off the shredded ends of his cloak so she could slice open the wound on his shoulder. When he tried to fend her off, Sasori finally spoke up.

"Stop wasting our time and stay still," he bit out. "She is a highly advanced medic-nin, and unless you like missing an arm, I'd suggest you let her help you."

He quieted down despite eyeing them both with a mutinous glower, and his expression was less than trusting as he watched her align his served arm with the stump it originated from. Glowing green chakra enveloped both of her hands, and she closed both palms completely around the break to hold it together. Deidara nearly jerked away at the sudden feel of her energy invading his system, but when the warmth began to sooth his aching nerves and breathe life back into his muscles, he reluctantly relaxed.

He didn't even realize his mind had drifted elsewhere until she abruptly let go of him less than a half hour later. Instantly, he cried out, afraid his arm would fall to the ground, but instead it lifted the way he'd unconsciously instructed it to do in order to protect it. He stared at the limb, dumbfounded, while Zetsu watched silently with his piercingly perceptive eyes. Blinking, Deidara slowly flexed each of his fingers, then bent and twisted his arm in every which direction until it finally hit him that, yes, it _was_ attached to his body again.

A wide, brilliant grin spread across his face.

"Hey, now, you're not too bad, yeah." This time, he studied her appreciatively from her pink hair all the way to her unpainted toenails. "Who are you?"

"Sakura," she said simply. "Now give me your other arm."

He gave her a dubious look, glancing back and forth between her and his bloody mess of an appendage. "Reattaching my arm was awesome and all, but you'd have to be a freaking miracle-worker to fix this thing — everything's been completely crushed by the Kazekage's sand."

"Don't make me ask again."

Sighing, he turned a bit to give her easier access to his other arm since he certainly couldn't move it. She tore off the entire sleeve when it got in her way, and she had to admit that it looked pretty bad. Entire chunks of the limb were missing, presumably stuck in Gaara's sand somewhere, and if she hadn't known it was supposed to be an arm, she probably wouldn't have recognized it.

Cracking her knuckles, Sakura took a breath to relax herself. "This might take a while, so I hope you're comfortable."

She set to work without another word. At some point during her healing session, Zetsu and Sasori engaged in a conversation about the Konoha and Suna shinobi they'd fought, and Zetsu eventually disappeared back into the ground to go God only knew where. An hour passed much more quickly than it should have, and Sakura could feel every single ounce of her chakra draining away as she meticulously pieced each fragment of bone and tissue together, intensely aware that a single misplaced piece could ruin everything. The skin regrew itself with little prompt from her chakra, cells splitting and multiplying at a mind-boggling rate, and the muscles reformed at her command. The arteries were, by far, the most difficult part for her to reconstruct. They were extremely delicate, and it was a miracle — no, a miracle _inside_ of a miracle — that Deidara hadn't bled to death before he found them.

Another hour passed before Sakura was forced to halt the flow of healing energy if she didn't want to pass out from chakra exhaustion. She almost asked Sasori for her bottle of chakra pills so she could go on before she remembered: she'd had to leave her pack in the cave because she was supposed to be dead, and dead people didn't need packs of supplies. With a sigh of frustration, she removed her hands from his almost-halfway-restored arm, disregarding the way he was gaping at her.

"That's all I can do for now," she told him matter-of-factly. "Tomorrow, after I've replenished my chakra, I'll work on it again. Until then, don't try to do anything with that arm."

"You," he mumbled, almost as if in a daze. "How did you _do_ that?"

She shot him a look that said she thought he was an idiot. "I'm a medic-nin. Or did you miss that part?"

Sasori grunted softly, holding out a nicely-cooked fish on a stick he'd apparently caught and cooked during their healing session. "You used up too much chakra. Eat before you pass out."

She complied without arguing, plopping down rather ungracefully in the dirt beside him and tearing out a large mouthful of meat. Sasori had barely held the water bottle out in her direction before she took it and drained half its contents in one gulp. Around another mouthful of fish, she ordered Deidara, "You eat, too. You're lucky you're even alive right now."

Still gaping at her, he did as she said without seeming to realize what he was doing. Many minutes passed in silence. Then:

"Holy _shit_, yeah," Deidara exclaimed, staring at her wide-eyed. "Where have been these past three-and-a-half years? If we'd had a medic like you earlier, we wouldn't have gotten into _half_ of the sticky situations we did!"

Though she tried not to show it, the deity worship in his expression boosted her ego. He scrutinized her a moment longer before snapping out of it.

"So, you were Sasori-danna's spy all along, yeah?"

Instead of answering directly in case he was one of those people that could smell a lie a mile away, she said, "Sasori started training me when I was six."

He gave a low whistle. "Damn. That's a long time, yeah. How old are you?" The last part was said in a different, slightly more playful tone.

"Seventeen."

His brows rose. "Eleven years. God, how did you put up with him?"

Sakura glanced at Sasori to make sure speaking about him in the third person wasn't ticking him off. It appeared he was more irritated with the blond's comment at the moment.

"He only trained me for four years," she corrected. "After that, I was on my own."

"So you've been posing in Konoha for seven years." He gave his partner an impressed look. "That's smart, danna — no one would expect a kid to be a spy, yeah."

"And, yet, you still wonder why I'm in charge instead of you when we go on missions," Sasori concluded flatly.

Deidara rolled his eyes. "It's 'cause of your suckish attitude, yeah. It's always 'grumble' this and 'bitch' that — _Your art is stupid, Deidara_ or _Stop being such a brat, Deidara_ or, my favorite, _I haven't got time to babysit you, Deidara_." He huffed indignantly. "Seriously, danna. Someday, someone's gonna get tired of all your nitpicking and kick your ass, and then you'll understand what I'm talking about."

The look Sasori fixed him with was severely uninterested. For her part, it took a lot of effort for Sakura to keep a straight face.

_Hm,_ she thought to herself sarcastically. _Who do these two remind me of?_

It was funny how all of the blond-haired people in her life had such loud mouths and short fuses. She wondered if her mother had been like that, too.

Probably.

"So, what's your deal, huh?" A second passed before Sakura realized that Deidara was addressing her. "You were Sasori-danna's spy in Konoha, but you got found out, so…now what, yeah?"

She had to tread carefully around this subject and remember everything she told him. If any of the other Akatsuki members so much as suspected that she was lying to them, no matter that the lie she was telling about being a spy wouldn't affect anything at all, they'd most likely kill her.

"I wasn't found out," she began evenly, feeling Sasori's attention on her like a physical entity. "I almost was, but we managed to contain the situation. However, too much suspicion was already pointing in my direction, so we cast an illusion on the woman I was partnered up with and faked my death." She indicated their surroundings. "And now here I am."

While Deidara contemplated this, she glanced at Sasori and received a tiny nod of approval. Good. It was simple, and it used enough of the truth to sound genuine.

The only problem now would be if the Akatsuki expected her to hand over information that could get her friends from Konoha killed. Sasori had told her that he didn't care either way about Konoha, but it was ultimately the Akatsuki's leader that determined whether or not she could stay. So, then, the question was, how much information could she give them to both satisfy the Akatsuki and keep Naruto out of danger?

That was something she'd just have to worry about at another time. She had too much on her plate as it was.

Like how everything got really blurry and warped when she turned her head to look at Deidara again. There was no telling how many minutes passed before it occurred to her that he had asked her something — something that sounded suspiciously like an ape groaning, muffled by a sheet of cotton. And underwater.

She blinked slowly. "Sorry, what?"

He frowned at her uncertainly, then looked to Sasori. "She doesn't look so good, yeah."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the former Suna-nin grabbed Sakura's chin roughly and forced her to look at him. He frowned, reaching out with his chakra to tap at her own reserves, then set his jaw in a hard line. He released her, making sure she saw his disapproving grimace.

"That was stupid," he informed her icily. "Clearly, you've become careless; you wasted far too much chakra on that buffoon that calls himself my partner" — here, Deidara's outraged protest was ignored — "and you are now teetering on the edge of chakra exhaustion." She opened her mouth to apologize, but he just shook his head. "Sleep. Now. We won't be adjusting our schedule to accommodate you, so make sure this doesn't happen again."

Recognizing that she had been dismissed, Sakura climbed somewhat unsteadily to her feet and trudged over to the fallen log. She was out before she even hit the ground.

.

.

.

Sakura was only half awake when the sounds of arguing filtered into her ears.

"Seriously, danna, it's been _twelve fucking hours_! How long are we gonna wait, yeah?!"

"We'll wait as long as I say so."

"What the hell, yeah! Where's all that shit you were saying last night about _We're not gonna adjust our schedule for you_?!"

"Tell me, Deidara." His voice was perfectly calm and cool. "How do you feel about dying?"

"Oi, I'm just trying to make a point here!"

"No, really, I'm curious. Does poisoning make you uncomfortable?"

"Alright, fine, I get it!" he spat, throwing his arms up.

"It's amazing how the people who get along the best also fight the most," Sakura observed, stretching her limbs wide as she sat up.

Sasori gave her a sharp nod, completely disregarding that _egregiously untrue_ comment. "Good. Five more minutes, and I would have woken you myself."

Deidara stared at his partner incredulously, his mouth actually falling open in his shock.

Sakura nodded back seriously as she stood. "Sorry I cut it so close. I won't be so reckless with my chakra next time."

Satisfied, Sasori turned on his heel and began the second leg of their journey. Sakura followed him without hesitation, never once mentioning the fact that they all knew he'd let her sleep in many hours after their planned time. Deidara could only trail after them in stunned silence.

.

.

.

For two straight hours now, Deidara hadn't stopped staring at her. She'd ignored him at first, then _pretended_ to ignore him when it started getting on her nerves, but now she was becoming too agitated to do even that. In general, Sakura had very little control over her temper and even less patience. Really, it was remarkable she'd lasted this long.

"Unless I've got something rather fascinating hanging off my face, then I see no reason why you can't seem to stop staring at me." She punctuated this with a glare that could've burnt through concrete.

Deidara blinked, then frowned in confusion. When he still didn't say anything, she rolled her eyes and slowed her pace a fraction, allowing Sasori to pull further ahead of them.

"Spit it out, or find something else to occupy your interest."

"What is it with you?" he blurted out, tone curious rather than hostile.

Her brow arched. "You'll have to be more specific than that."

He glanced at Sasori before returning his gaze to her. "You…" He shook his head. "He's different with you, yeah." She didn't have to ask who he meant.

Her lips pulled down a bit in one corner. "Different, how?"

The blond sputtered for a second. "What do you mean, _how_? He talks to you. As in, _says more than five fucking words at a time_ to you. He actually answers your questions. He doesn't take every chance to insult you. He doesn't go through with the threats he makes to you. He _waited_ for you. Sasori-danna doesn't wait for _anything_, yeah!"

Sakura shot him an odd look. "He's always been like that."

Deidara drew up short, nearly stopping altogether. "He's _always_ been like that?" he repeated.

"Yeah." She gave an amused sort of smile. "Maybe it's _you_ he treats differently."

"No," he said automatically. "It's you. It's _definitely_ you. The way he treats me? That's the way he treats _everyone_." He stared at her intently. "Except you."

"Right," she snorted, rolling her eyes, leaving the blond staring after her in disbelief as she pulled ahead of him. But despite her response, some small part of her was elated that it might be true — and she had absolutely no idea why.

Deidara didn't try talking to her again after that. He just cut quick glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking, then frowned at Sasori's back, and repeated the process. Multiple times. This was only slightly less annoying that his earlier blatant leering of her, but she somehow managed to restrain herself from spitting metaphorical poison at him long enough for them to finally reach the border.

The first sign Sakura received that they were approaching Amegakure's unnamed country was the subtle but steady drop in temperature as they continued along their invisible path. The second was the change in the wind coupled with the scent of rain it brought. The third was the slow thickening in cloud coverage and dimming of the sunlight as they drew nearer.

And the fourth was the sudden wall of rain that appeared in the distance, perfectly edging the border without a single drop falling on River Country's side.

Sakura's eyebrows rose all the way into her hairline. "Well, now, _that_ doesn't look unnatural at _all_."

"What gave it away, yeah?" Deidara deadpanned. He sighed, shaking his head in contempt. "Seriously, I keep telling Pein that only a moron wouldn't notice how suspicious that is, but does he listen to me? Of course not!"

"Pein isn't the only one who doesn't listen to you."

The blond scowled at Sasori's back. "Oi, what the hell'd you say?!"

Making a deliberate show of ignoring his partner, Sasori glanced back at Sakura briefly. "Prepare yourself. As soon as we step into the rain, the chakra it contains will probe your system. Don't fight it, or Pein might presume you an intruder."

True to his word, she felt a foreign energy enter her body the second a drop landed on her skin. She grimaced but forced her chakra network to relax and allow the presence to roam freely, though the feeling of it nearly made her shiver with discomfort.

Dimly, it occurred to her that there was no backing out of this now. This Pein person, most likely the Akatsuki leader or an important figure within the organization, had sensed her with Sasori and Deidara. To leave at this point would be certain death, because the Akatsuki surely wouldn't allow people to roam free with knowledge of their location.

In the next instant, she forgot the thought even existed, because she had no intentions of leaving. She was right where she wanted to be.

Perhaps influenced by her suddenly good mood, she turned to Deidara. "If I'm still alive two hours from now, I'll finish healing your arm."

He grinned widely. "_Sweet_, yeah! Ne, Sasori-danna, we _gotta_ make sure Pein keeps her around, 'cause I don't think I can ever go back to letting Kakuzu sew me back together again."

She caught Sasori's eye and broke out into a grin of her own. Instead of frowning or demonstrating his dislike for such an outward display of emotion like he usually would have, he allowed the smallest of smirks to quirk his mouth up on one side.

With a kind of happiness she hadn't felt in years, Sakura proclaimed a childish, _Tadaima!_ in her mind and imagined that Sasori might tell her, _Okaerinasai._

* * *

**This strength you have given me, I will now use for you.**

**I am your shield, your sword, and your marionette, too.**

**So from this day to my end, I shall live for you.**


End file.
